Charlene shared this interesting post, sent by a friend:
One could find this hopeful. Those who are struggling may find this depressing. Either way, it does remind us that God did not abandon humanity in 1869 or 1919, and God is with us now.
I don't want to discount that what we are enduring now is hard. Grief, loneliness, frustration are daily battles, real battles. For many fear and uncertainty make each day extraordinarily difficult. Retracing the faltering steps and missteps by the world's governments only makes people angry, and doesn't move us forward. Sure we could have, probably should have done things differently. Understanding that may help us with the next pandemic, but it doesn't help us much now, and it surely doesn't lessen the pain of those who have lost so much.
So what does help us now? I offer these words from Psalm 139, one of my very favorites:
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
--Psalm 139, NRSV
Friends, no matter how alone, how isolated we may feel, wherever we are, God is there. Remembering that, recognizing that is not always easy, but it does not diminish this truth. For those of us who are fortunate to know and understand God's presence in our lives right now, it is our job to help others find that truth. And to be that truth, the light of Christ to others.
Your Sister in Christ,
Pastor Mike
Family inspirational coloring project - print these mosaic tiles to create a beautiful poster celebrating Christ in our midst
Pastor Mike reads The Runaway Bunny, a wonderful story about unconditional love
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