May 28, 2019

I’ve thought a lot about what we go through and the trouble that, at its core, becomes what defines us. I wrestle with verses in scripture that tell me to consider it joy or to be content in all my circumstances. I want to be a joyful person in all things but I’ve heard things and seen things that would make any person question, would make any individual doubt. I never quite get to the point where I can comprehend a world with cancer, a place where we see people die at the hands of violence constantly, a time when a mom has to worry about their child living without them. I’ve postulated on all these things as I went through the unknown these past few weeks and I couldn’t get settled. I have this friend who is crazy wise and she always has these ways of reminding me why we are all here anyway. It’s all for Jesus, right? We are here because of Him and for Him and He gave us these communities and these villages that are designed to be a reflection of Him and His love for us. And the world spins and the days pass and it’s all in the quest to get back to Him. So what do we do in the mean time? She says God doesn’t give us trouble to make us comfortable but to be “comfort-able.” To recognize that our stories and our lives and our lessons become teachers and helpers and life-affirmers for those who come after- who are walking the sadness, feeling the loss and questioning the reasons. We become His hands and His feet and we wrap and engulf and make it even a tiny bit more bearable. I’ve said it before- we don’t get to understand it all- but we do get to love and live alongside each other and for me- that’s a gift. I live for the moments in fellowship with my people- the nights we laugh until we cry and I’ve wet my pants from joy but just as memorable- just as etched in my mind- are the moments where we have prayed together, walked grief together and held each other up. I am confident there is a purpose in it all and whatever we go through is a light- for us, for them, and to Jesus- that makes it all work out perfectly. And the choices we make and the people we love are the legacy of a God who chooses us every time; no matter what the world throws at us we get to be His.