Time Heals...

Spring is in the air and even though we have witnessed incredible darkness over the past  days and weeks, we have also seen the goodness in people and the grace of God poured out in ways that defy our reasoning.

Suffering. It’s our biggest hang up. We want the garden where everything was perfect. But we left God when everything was perfect. We have less need for God when things are good. He's just a picture on a card. We take him for granted. When things are good, we overlook one another, especially those closest to us. When things are good, we're BUSY taking care of insignificant tasks. When things are good we look to be entertained and we're too often entertained by things of darkness. When things are good, we're the center of our universe.

But look what happens when faced with tragedy. All of a sudden we need God. In suffering, we cry out to him and find him. All of a sudden we need one another. Through suffering a swell of goodness rises in our hearts. Love is seen everywhere. Compassion prevails. Sacrifices are made. Strangers become what we've been all along - brothers and sisters. Life becomes precious again.

Please do not look to have things too quickly back to normal. Normal is what got us here. Normal is selfish. Normal is uncaring. Normal is taking God and loved ones and freedom and health and prosperity for granted. May we never again go back to that type of normal.

Prayer is the path to healing for each one of us. We pray against evil, but we also pray for our enemies. We draw strength from God and one another as we face an uncertain future. And so it has been since the dawn of time. The bonds formed through our community at Grace are Rock solid, for we stand in the strength of Christ. 
We go forward with the bond of love that we share and the words of Jesus always before us — “Fear not!”