Since the Sandy Hook shooting tragedies, I've picked up these bits and pieces of news that read like a global horror novel. India and Saudi Arabia, savage rapes, beating and deaths of women, teens and babies. China had their own version of Sandy Hook but instead of guns the madman used knives to stab the children. Today in the US, finally after a 7 day siege a "survivalist" in an Alabama bunker was killed and his 5 year old hostage released. The media showed a grainy picture of the boy and my heart shrunk inside my chest thinking of the fear this little boy has been through.
There are days where I think, how will we ever be able to adequately protect our children? Plain live...survive? Our world is dark and crazy. Those days when fear overwhelms me, I reach for one of two choices:
A) Be intentional about hearing from God through scripture in search of His comfort and wisdom or
B) Run to my nearest 7 eleven and stock up on ice cream and chocolate to see me through a day holed up at home.
Today, I chose option A and found that there is nothing, no matter how shocking, which we are dealing with in our day and age that hasn't been seen before. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9
I also read an encouraging word by C.H. Spurgeon that asked me to recall the work that has been done by the Spirit of God already. When our world was rocked during a horrific accident my husband suffered while living in Puerto Rico, God rescued him and stayed with us through each one of this 15 subsequent surgeries. While my husband was trying to gain health and recover some semblance of his life, we had our second daughter. On my own this would have been a joyless experience but He provided enough strength for daddy to see the birth of his daughter, for mom to balance new baby, big sister and sick husband. All the while God sent us precious angels, people who gave of their time to call, hug or write a note...Others would pray with me and help take care of us.
This sort of light is in stark contrast with the darkness surrounding us and reported daily in the media. Just as God didn't leave me hanging during our most heart-breaking trial, (or any other one) he won't leave any of us ill equipped to deal with life's dirty and ugly. For an increasingly troubled world, an increasing out pouring of His Holy Spirit. I was reminded of that today.
The best thing about this news, apart that I need not hide out at my local convenience store when I get scared senseless, is that for those that trust Jesus with their lives, His spirit dwells within them. It is His strength that will enable us to stand up and be light and salt to our hurting world. It is His power that will persevere in us, so we don't cave in, look the other way or give up hope.
When striving to live by the strength of His Holy Spirit then on more days than not, I find success in choosing to put His will first in my life. For me, it's real struggle to avoid living according to my emotions, acting out my will as I see fit. However, the hard truth is, when we put us ahead of God and act according to what we feel, we may not perform the horrible deeds of some, but for many it leads us astray from our Creator and towards harming ourselves and others. Claudia, you are being so melodramatic! You are as sweet as pie and you wouldn't hurt a fly. All I can say friends is that I have, I do and all but for the grace of God, go I.
Wishing you time to reflect upon Him and since it's Monday, a wonderful week where we strive to act according to His plans, making every day count. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
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