I really wish I could find appropriate words to describe how desperately I need to cling to this sentence. Right now I am in Bogota, Colombia, and in the last three weeks I have seen some of the hardest things people go through in this world. Families that have been broken by civil war and violence, young girls that are carrying their own father’s child, kids that cannot write and don’t get the chance to learn in a school, hunger, shame, loneliness and a lot of tears. If I am being completely honest, it is really hard to see these things and think in those moments “God you are so good…”
But, at the same time, if I take a second I realize that it is in those moments that there is no other possible response than “God you are so good…” because I know our God already sent a Savior, already gave the people hurting most in this world hope that they won’t stay in it forever, because He sent Jesus- and Jesus won. If I did not believe that, there is no way I could handle seeing all the pain that exists here and all over the world. We must believe that God is good, and we must tell others that He is good or they will give up, they will surrender to their circumstances because they cannot see that they are temporary and that there is eternal life beyond their wildest dreams waiting for them. The comforting arms of our Father are open, and He IS good! I know it breaks God’s heart so much more than mine to see what a mess we have made of His world- and yet in his GOODNESS He won’t leave us here- in his GOODNESS He is cleaning the mess.
The end of Psalm 34:8 says, “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” So, we taste and see God’s goodness while in the safe embrace of Jesus, the refuge of the Lord and the only anchor in the storm that is a world so broken by sin. Lord God, would you help me remember minute by minute that you are good, and that you always will be. Never let me doubt your goodness even when I don’t understand your ways, because I know they are high above mine. Thank you for your mercy, and I ask you to show your goodness to the people of this world who desperately need to believe in it…
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Katie - what a powerful post! Thank you for being so amazingly brave and true to what you're going through right now. I can't imagine seeing the horror you are right now. The fact that you can turn that into good by not letting yourself forget that our Father is SO much bigger than us and this earth that we live in is a miracle, Katie. We love you! And we're praying for you!
ReplyDeleteamen to all of that. i'm not sure what else to say, but just that i echo katie in saying that we are praying for you. praying hard for God's shining light.
ReplyDeletekatie i can't even begin to say, "i understand" to the circumstances you are surrounded with right now. i agree with jaymee! all i know is that those kids, families, parents, whoever you are spending time with ARE seeing a shining light through you!!
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