You know those moments when the words find you. When you read a passage in a book that names exactly how you feel. Or a phrase from a song touches you. It happens to preachers, when someone listening thanks you for words they needed that you may or may not have said.
This 6-minute episode of a podcast found me at the right moment. I’m a fan of Kelly Corrigan, author, podcaster, and person who wonders out loud. She also wrote a lovely children’s book called “Hello World!”, calling young humans into the wonder of the world and its inhabitants.
Back to her podcast episode, where she gracefully names some of the disappointments we experience and concludes with the refrain: “Oh well.” These two words are like Teflon for the moments we simply must let go. They resemble the life-giving reminder to be gentle on yourself. And they sound like Jesus’ promise of peace, unlike anything the world gives (John 14).
There are some reminders that never completely sink in, or maybe they do, and they’ve sunk so deep we hardly notice them. As your life changes, however that may be, and the story isn’t the one you had in mind, “Oh well.” The earth spins and we start over. We can cling to regrets and grudges, or we can let them go. “Oh well.”
No circumstance changes who you already are, beloved human of God. “Oh well” keeps us from shooting for perfection. You are you with your flaws and your everything. “Oh well.” You are loved just as you are, and that is well enough.
Lisa Lewton 