I danced in the rain yesterday while singing Unashamed Love at the top of my lungs. I
felt like I was a kid again, happy and carefree. Then I heard thunder in the
distance and was quickly reminded that I am an adult and my life is no longer
carefree.
The rain was strangely healing and after the day I had I
need to be cleansed and reminded that God’s love is magical.
I get frustrated when televangelists say that to be happy we
simply need to give God money. The fact is they are lying. Life can suck
sometimes. When we are hurt by people that we trusted. When we come to the
realization that we cannot fix all the brokenness in our world. When we learn
how hurtful and powerful our words can be.
I am a Christian. I believe in a God of love and grace. But
I also affirm that life can really suck.
The thing that I have come to realize is that God is not
only present in the happy, carefree moments of our lives, but that She is also
present in all of the sucky, icky moments of our lives as well.
In life’s sucky moments we hold onto hope. Hope that life
won’t always suck. Hope that tomorrow will be better day. Hope that “every
promise in the Book” really is ours. Hope that the storms of our lives will
pass and a rainbow will appear.
This hope is not new. The ancients had hope: “A
child is born to us, a son is given to us, and authority will be on his
shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be vast authority and endless
peace for David’s throne and for his kingdom, establishing and sustaining it with justice
and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of the Lord of heavenly forces will do this.” “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his
God. They will dwell
secure, because he will surely become
great throughout the earth; he will become one of peace.”
Under Roman oppression the people held unto this hope, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death
will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the
former things have passed away.” Jimi Hendrix understood this hope, “When the
power of love over comes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
I keep
seeing that saying that says, “In the happy moments praise God. In the
difficult moments trust God. In the quiet moments seek God. In every moment
thank God.” This is a quaint little saying but what if; In the happy moments we
praise God. In the sucktastic, icky moments we dance in the rain singing and
the top of our lungs. And in every moment we hope.
go in
PEACE. live PEACE. be PEACE.
