Where did he go! The promise was clear. I will never leave you. But sometimes in life is sure seems as if he’s gone. It seems as if he’s left us to fend for ourselves. It seems the pain is too much to bear and the hurt is just more than we can handle. Where was Jesus when I needed him most?
Today is your day! It’s your victory day. The day you’ve been waiting for. The day we’ve all been waiting for. So many memories have been built over these 88 years of life. From joy to sadness from sorrow and pain and peace, wellness, health and comfort you’ve experienced all of it.
Enough is enough already. When did we become a divided people? When did we fall for the trap of evil that has been set before us? When did we become so stupid that we follow the horrible lead of violence? What made us give in to the idea that hatred and destruction are the answer?
We are not together. I don’t know of a time when division was more prominent. The unfortunate thing is that this is being called a racial division but that’s just not true. There is racial tension and inequality to be certain but that’s not the real problem we face. The violence and the hatred being spread around our cities like manure flung in a farmer’s field is not about race. It’s about evil. Pure evil.
I pray for my brothers and sisters around the world regardless of race or color or gender or political background. I pray for those who hurt and those who lack the confidence to live the lives they’ve been given to live. I pray for those who are violently held back in life.
It’s time to realize that we have merely one shot at this life. We can opt to mess it up and make it miserable for everyone around us by trashing their businesses and homes and ruining our own stuff. Or we can choose to serve those in need. Support our local business owners. Clean up after these riots. Care for one another. Walk shoulder to shoulder through this life together. The choice is yours. I pray you choose together.
As some continue to stay in distanced situations and as still others are afraid of coming out of their homes and back into the general population, we need to find creative ways to dig deeper into the Bible. So how do we amp up our depth of spiritual awareness? How do we grow as followers of Christ when we aren’t doing life together for the time being?
In a world with so many options which one is the right one? Which door do you pick? This week we have had yet another round of recommendations and requirements given by the government on how to handle the virus situation. In our lives we cling to opinions we respect like they’re life preservers. But which of these opinions are the right ones? Where do we turn? Everything seems so unknown!
It seems like everything in life is a tad darker, everyone is a little crankier, and judgement is all around us. I walk into a store without a mask on and people glare like I’m the devil. Add to that the constant change in information flooding our media feeds and it’s hard to know who to trust and what information is truth and what information is a lie. How do we fight this barrage of darkness all around us?
What are we supposed to do? Should we wear a mask or not? Should we have our extended family over for that party? What about getting together with friends? Will you shop at a store that mandates masks? These are just some of the questions I’ve heard the past several weeks. The answers to these questions are as varied as the people who ask them.
Well this is the second time I’ve used this song but it has special meaning for me today. You see yesterday we came back to church. We’ve been waiting for this day for weeks. Being displaced from something that is so important and so life changing is no fun. Being told you can’t do something that’s great for you because of a fear of something bad for you lurking in the shadows is a terrifying thing!
As we continue to look at how to remain connected to our church family and our community while staying somewhat physically distanced from one another a great option is something called prayer walking. Prayer walking is the concept of walking through a neighborhood or community and praying for the people, businesses and homes you pass on your walk.
It’s hard to even know what day it is anymore. We get up only to realize we don’t have to even shower before doing the work the day holds. The children won’t roll out of bed until they want to, which is far later than they used to. We’re getting more sleep than we did before but we’re more exhausted than ever before. What gives!