Crap Happens - But its Smell Doesn't Have to Linger...

Sometimes crap just happens.

At least that's the phrase I learned from my beloved friends in Oklahoma. The idea that no matter how hard one tries to keep out of the stink of life: be it trial, misery or sadness. It still comes knocking.

Maybe that is what Helaman was trying to tell his sons, Nephi and Lehi when he told them how important it was to center their lives around the Son of God - for as he warned "mighty winds" and "shafts in the whirlwind" (I think he meant debris), or "mighty storms shall beat upon you." Aka: Crap Happens. 

Such awfulness seems to be playing in my court as of late. 

Last night, I experienced what it means to mourn with someone else, after she''d experienced being threatened and vulnerable. While I stood by her side, and called the police, I felt strength beyond my own.  

However, when I woke up this morning, a new found threat presented itself: Anger. The type of howdarecrappythingslikethathappentoinnocentpeople anger. And it festered, and rose within my soul as fast and subtle as yeast in homemade bread. Soon I had baked myself into perfect dish of misery. I sobbed that such things could "be" - I grieved over the existence of "wrongness" and "unfairness," especially for its presence in the lives of those I love.

And then the oddest thing happened - a glint of hope, a mere suggestion that changed my day. As I walked into the grocery store, to gather comfort in the form of: chocolate and salt, the merciful phrase came to mind: the best way to combat evil and injustice is to be more kind and loving. 

Crap does happen - but it happened to the best person on earth as well - the Son of God suffered beyond all comprehension and He was perfect. And the miracle of it all? His declaration upon the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:32).  

When served injustice - He offered forgiveness. When hated He loved more deeply.

So - what does this mean for me and perhaps for you? 

While I don't have the complete answer, I feel a bit closer. While crap does happen, it doesn't mean I have to "choose" to live in a smelly world - or to view it in the unjust way I saw it today. I have the conscious choice to give the world flagrant flowers of kindness or love like fresh homemade cookies, instead of polluting the air with more unjust anger or hatred. Perhaps this is what Christ meant when He counseled us to turn the other cheek?

I can almost guarantee that awful things will continue to happen all around me; however, I feel blessed that through the mercy of a loving God, I can still learn how to be kind to family, friends and even strangers; and more importantly, provide our suffering world with a more abundant love.

Crap Happens, but that doesn't mean its smell has to linger.