What If Everything Isn't Awesome?

I did the good father thing recently and took my daughter, Autumn, out for a date. She wanted to see The Lego Movie, and I obliged. I was pleasantly surprised with the wit of the film, and it landed at a place I wasn’t expecting. The theme song, “Everything is Awesome,” has a catchy enough dance flavor that it has the kids singing:

   Everything is awesome

   Everything is cool when you're part of a team

   Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

I like it when everything is awesome, and sometimes it is, but what happens if it isn’t?  What do we do then? When you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or when your spouse is leaving you, or when you lose your home. Hang your head? Play morose music? Indulge in unhealthy behaviors? At those times when our world seems to be falling apart, we attempt to cope, and we all have different coping mechanisms.  The outlet we choose plays a major role in the way we view and deal with our circumstances. What works for me might not work for you. I often revel in my despair with the saddest music I can play for a time, and somehow this practice can make me feel immensely better afterward. This might not work for you and may even sound strange. But that’s okay, and that’s the point.

Psalms 118:24 states, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The verb demands action, we will rejoice. It almost appears as if the psalmist is stamping his foot, refusing to be beaten by his circumstances.  Through the good, through the bad, throughout all generations.

I met a World War II veteran recently at Costco. At my prompting, he told me about part of his journey in the Pacific during the war.  HIs stories were sobering, and in one particular situation he spoke of struggling through rain and mud coming up to his knees as he pursued his mission.  But he didn’t dwell on all the negative things that had happened, and he didn't allow the challenges - as gruesome as they were - to define his life. He had such an attitude of joy that I could tell, even though he acknowledged life's trials, what a wonderful life he had lived.

So today, whether everything is awesome or you are in a season of warfare, remember that, though the challenges you face may be completely out of your control, you can choose to come before a God who is able to sustain you.  With the Psalmist, may your strength for the journey be found as you will rejoice and be glad in it.

Richard Hickam