Gratitude Day 145 – Who

Tues., Oct. 30, 2018

John 15:12 – (Jesus said,) “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.”

It’s been a tough several days in the United States. So much hurt, disappointment and acts that don’t make sense. It’s difficult to image this country where everyone yearns to live and yet, people are killed while worshipping God. Each day seems to bring forth another tragedy for yet another community and a whole series of families.

It would be so easy to give up on faith, religion and God. But I am not.

Here’s why.

It is so easy to assume God “decides” that awful things should happen to people. I have a different viewpoint. Evil exists in this world. Sometimes, it runs full-throttle. Blaming God for every awful thing in this world is not helpful. Evil chooses to regularly rear its ugly head. Rather than naming evil as the culprit of everything bad in this world, it’s so much easier to blame God. In this sense, God truly gets a bad rap.

We spend so much energy and effort focusing on “Why bad things happen to good people” that we overlook the “Who will help us get through this awful time in our lives?” For me, that who is God. God promises to never leave me or never leave you. Even in the midst of difficult and challenging days.

The challenge for some people? Truly believing that God is the “Who” that can hold their hand through dark days. We often choose to focus on the “Why” to the point that we completely miss the “Who.”

I pray you don’t give up on God. I pray you look beyond today’s pain and disappointment and know God will be with you today, tomorrow and the next day. Even when God seems far away, God is right there, just waiting for you to say “Hey God, it’s me. Just checking in with you.” It really doesn’t get any more complicated than this. We often become disappointed when our prayers aren’t answered just as we wish. This doesn’t mean God has given up on you. It just means there’s potentially a different plan.

For a God who longs to be the “who” that journeys with you daily, I am grateful.

Dear God: thank you for loving me more than I can imagine. May your example of love spur us to deeply love you and others.  Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

If you have enjoyed this blog, please pass it along to someone else who will also enjoy it.