Juxtaposition

Trust Jesus

Life is full of contradictions. Opposites. Yin and Yang. Juxtaposition.

During my recent trip to Las Vegas, Nevada this was so apparent not only on the streets, but also in my own life. Here I was, on a vacation of a lifetime, happy and carefree...no worries or responsibilities and on my phone's voicemail was a message waiting for me that would rock my world and yet again change my perspective on just how fragile life really is. While standing in the middle of a lavish resort on my first day of vacation in a place where anything and everything is possible, I heard the devastating news that one of my closest friend's husband passed away suddenly. It stopped me in my tracks. He had just turned a young 50 and he was gone. Just.  Like.  That.  All of the emotions of being away and carefree suddenly crashed and collided with the realization that my friend was now a widow. YinYangOppositesPullPushUpDownLeftRight.  My world was spinning.

This one singular image really wraps up life, does it not? This single frozen moment in time truly gives us a code for living...on one side we have the man who is telling us to "Trust Jesus," and on the other side are the Vegas girls who are telling us to "Live it up!" Life is short and unexpected, so while we need to live a Jesus-like existence, we also need to make sure we are seizing all the opportunities life provides us. Live as if it were your last day. Be kind. Love your family out loud. Kiss your kids. Take risks. Enjoy every day.

My entire vacation I was continuously met with these polar opposite emotions, sights, and experiences. I would be in awe of the amazing scenery when all of a sudden it would smack me in the face that my friend was learning to live without the love of her life. HIGHlow. Young wholesome Chinese school girls in uniforms walking down Freemont Street with topless girls standing right next to them. InnocentDevilish. Homeless men smoking expensive cigarettes holding signs begging for food while sitting right next to their dog feeding him treats. HungryFull. Crowds cheering at the craps table celebrating a win while the next table over the Blackjack gambler hung his head in defeat. WinLose. It truly was a bizarre experience moving through this vacation trying to enjoy myself all the while knowing my friend and her children were suffering terribly at home.

Life sucks and yet is beautiful in the same moment. I bet if you really thought about it all day you would see the contradictions that play out before us at any given moment.

Please pray for my friend and her family. I know they could use some comfort during this very difficult time.