The Worst Of Times And The Best Of Times

There are times in my life when others see in me only the glow of inspiring words on a page. There are times in my life when people see only the gashes of fragmented parts of my being. I am the same person. There are times when these two come together. Such as now. The worst of times are the best of times. Could it be that there cannot be one without the other?

Can this truth apply to nations? People say 'How can you see anything good or of God in the Haiti earthquake?' For the dying and destitute it is indeed the worst of times. Yet the unprecedented scale of the tragedy is drawing an unprecedented response of love in action; possibilities of food-sharing by churches and agencies, building something beautiful out of what is broken. Blessing coming out of calamity. The worst of times and the best of times.