There are so many things in life we just do not understand. They leave us baffled as if we have missed an entire movie and just joined in for the most difficult parts. We don’t understand why sweet people can have such a difficult journey or why those we love die way too early. We don’t understand how we can plan and work and strive and yet, things can fall apart right before our eyes – despite our best efforts. We don’t always understand why difficult things can pile up so high, leaving our vision of the beautiful skewed and out of focus. We just don’t get it. And if we leave it there, it can make us anxious, overwhelmed, distressed and with a loss of hope. So we can’t leave it there. We can’t leave it there because this isn’t all there is. This isn’t the conclusion. The movie doesn’t just end in tragedy after tragedy. The journey has more – there is more – there has to be more.
I find ‘the more’ in love. God has loved us enough to create us and make us beautiful (yep, he made us ALL beautiful – that means YOU). We are loved beyond our comprehension – we cannot understand it even if we tried. We are loved even in the middle of our mess. And because we are loved, we are also not alone in it. God is with us – it is his name, after all – Immanuel (God with us). So while so many difficult things happen – so many tragedies and heartaches – God does not leave us in them. He sits with us in our grief. He holds us in our loneliness. He calms our anxious minds. He offers us peace. He does this because he loves us. ‘The more’ is this incredible love of God. I don’t get it – all I can do is be grateful and welcome it.
No matter what you are going through today, you are not alone. God is with you. And most importantly, he loves YOU – especially YOU. May you feel his loving presence wrap you tight today. And may you live in ‘the more’.
Psalm 36:7, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
Photography by David Cain – The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 