The Exhaustion That Accompanies Doom-Sayers

I don't know about anyone else, but I've found the past few days to be exhausting. Not because I was getting my house and/or affairs in order for the doom-sayers predictions, but I'm exhausted from realizing just how divided we are any more as humans.

Let's face it...folks got pretty snarky.

I figured there would be a few out there who, for whatever odd reason, would do some posturing and "in your face" strutting about, making it very clear to all of us folks of faith that we're just this side of not too bright. But wow...really?

As the day went on today, so too did the barbs, the sarcastic remarks, the generally indignant taunts. The scary part, however, to me was how it was beginning to reach a fevered pitch. I did a lot of online work today that had piled up and it got to the point that I just shut everything down...it got that bad. One guy who I generally consider a reliable and thoughtful resource on my Twitter feed went so far as to post "no rapture=God is dead". I've stopped following him...that's just crossing the line in my book.

What has become of us as a learned society? Intelligence doesn't equate hatred and intolerance. Yet this is what happened this past week. We are quick to point out others' intolerance, yet this happens?

My heart goes out in several different directions today. I feel sad for the people who wanted to believe their leader so badly that they forgot a simple tenet of our Christian belief--NO ONE knows when the rapture will occur. Christ himself said He doesn't know. I'm banking that if He doesn't know that a mere mortal for sure won't. And why do we need to know a time? Anyone who dies for whatever reason is "raptured", so to speak. The mortal journey is over...the eternal one begins. I find that incredibly reassuring and exciting.

My heart goes out equally to those who, as a result of being made to think about their mortality, found a great deal of hate in their hearts and lashed out. It got pretty rough out there, folks. Pretty ugly from the mortals. Yikes.

After multiple distractions throughout the day, I decided to put the top down on Miss Priss and just get out and drive a bit. Did me a world of good. Life got back in a welcomed routine. I went and visited my mom and fixed her hair; I went and bought my needed ingredients to prepare the Friday Night Challenge; I drove through the Ireland flats and got inundated with the aroma of turkey manure being spread on the fields. I felt the sun on my face, the wind in my hair. I heard the birds singing their hearts out. And life came back to normal...what a great word.

I'm a firm believer in God and an afterlife; I find it very reassuring and comforting to know that our journey won't just end abruptly once our bodies give out. I like the idea of greater knowledge, understanding, and discovery down the road. It all makes sense to me.

I truly hope that this past week of events will help us all to slow down, enjoy life, and do a little self-examination when it comes to tolerance. We all come into each others' lives with some form of baggage; equally, we all have things that matter greatly to us. How about we start practicing what makes us feel good to preach. Let's just live and love and accept.

Peace be with you.