Getting clear

THE DEBATES rage on and on. Arguments fly over airwaves and across the kitchen table. We grapple for truth.

Sometimes we reach a conclusion in our heads, but doubt lingers in our hearts.

It could be a political issue, a work dispute, or maybe a community conflict. And the most intense struggles happen at home, in families.

There, we risk smashing relationships into pieces. 

So you wonder, what’s the right answer? You turn the issue over and over and look at it from every angle.

At night you toss and turn in bed. You regret actions you took, or failed to take.

Then maybe you face something unpleasant and totally out of your control. And thoughts about faith and morals and love and loyalty get all mixed up in your head.

Events unfold and suddenly you feel like there’s no turning back, no way out. Everything is smoke, fire, and chaos.

It makes you want to just run away and hide in the woods.

Lately, the world trembles under a continuous stretch of turmoil. And our personal struggles take on a new intensity.

How do you regain clarity when the odds seem stacked against you sky high?

First of all, it’s okay to say you’re scared. It’s okay to say you hate it.

It’s okay to wish it would all just go away.

It’s okay to say that you feel a huge hurt, an emptiness, an open wound that never heals.

Do not fear the anguish. Do not deny the hurt.

But remember…

…it’s also okay to lean hard into your faith now.

It’s okay to say, all I have left is the Lord my God.

All my strength and all my structures have crumbled.

Only my tiny, tattered faith remains.

Still, I know God exists as he says I AM. 

And just by turning towards him, things change.

He cradles you gently in his hand. He speaks to you.

God’s Word brings clarity that pierces the darkness and enlightens your mind.

The world is a fantastic puzzle with an infinite number of moving parts. Billions upon billions struggle to find their way.

And for those who have encountered Jesus along their path, they know. They know and understand, no matter how painful it is, life is a cross.

It’s not exactly how you would like it to be — maybe not even close — but it is exactly how God lets it be.

So leave it to him. Let it go into his hands.

Yes, pray with all your might for those you love and for this suffering world. Take action when you must.

But know that God alone is the owner of grace.

Remember, your faith is a tremendous gift, a powerful protection.

The Father Creator has been revealed to you.

The Son of Man has embraced you.

Your shame no longer defines you.

The Spirit burns within you.

You are a child of God.

This is where clarity begins. Start there, rebuild from a sacred place, and move forward.

Join with others and pray for each other earnestly.

The enemy tries to frighten you with phantoms in your mind screeching, “All is lost!”

But the hand of God casts out any army of demons, none of which can withstand even one tiny drop of the blood of Christ.

So take. Drink. Feed upon the Body of Christ.

And wait upon the Lord.

Your story is not over yet. This is not the final chapter. Stand firm in the breach.

Let him show you with divine clarity, you are loved and he is God.

Let him show you the truth.

You did your best despite your failures.

You accepted your cross. You held it close.

You kept loving, even when it hurt.

You never gave up on God, and he never gave up on you. 

. . . . . . .

Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:3, 13-14

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