Tuesday, September 30, 2008

My cup is overflowing. My plate is full.

Is it a blessing or a curse?

If we hadn't all experienced this feeling, the question would be kind of surprising. How could one thing be both? I have been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. About the word "bittersweet" and how often this unlikely word applies to things in our lives.

For me, this most often comes up when I feel "too busy." Let's see, I have a challenging job, a large extended family, a husband and child, and good friends. What exactly is in there to stress about?

I know we've all felt it. I know I'm not just the jerk complaining about all my blessings. And I don't miss the connection with the name of my blog. When I think about it, I believe there is a reason we pray for our "daily bread" specifically. We certainly don't ask for excess bread. Just enough for today. Tomorrow is another day.

And maybe this is how I should approach the overflowing cup and the full plate: by taking my daily amount and leaving the rest for another day, or another person, or God. What more can we do?

I also have to wonder if some things really are bittersweet, blessing/curse, or if it's up to us to just tip the scales toward sweet blessing and call it a day. I am inclined to think it's up to us, but I haven't figured out how to go about tipping those scales in my own heart and mind. Any ideas?