WATCHWORD:
Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Meditation:
Back to Wow!
Personal reference to make a Point: Jess, the love of my son’s life, was shot and killed less than three years ago. Now he stands in the street looking at his home, seemingly unchanged, one of only four homes still standing in the Altadena neighborhood of 10 or so homes, after the passing of the fire turned blowtorch known as the Santa Ana winds. Homes at friends with children that my son knew no longer exist, just ashes chimneys. Two major blows in his life, how does he deal with that? Yes, his house was still standing, but why, he might be asking?
How do we deal with catastrophes that fall upon us? How do we cope? We’ve all seen the pictures of the fire devastation suffered by our friends and neighbors in California. It seems that an isolated fire that destroys a few homes is sad, but what we are witnessing is at such a larger scale that it touches us differently, at a deeper level. Maybe we feel fortunate, or maybe we feel guilty. Survivor guilt is such an insidious form of explaining things in the negative. I don’t know how my son will deal with all this, he covers so well with his hallmark calmness and leadership abilities. I just know that he will deal with this, and in dealing with it he will calm his children and our extended family, and we learn from him.
Our momentary darkness, whether it be illness, the prospect of heart surgery, the loss of a loved one, cause us to feel the bite when our comfortable control of our lives is momentarily lost. Time is a great healer. Diagnoses proves successful and becomes helpful. The pain of loss subsides, a little. Gradually our control returns to our lives and we move on, while the memories remain.
My daughter reminded me of a quote from Anne Lamont: “More than anything, prayer helps me get my sense of humor back. It brings me back to my heart from the treacherous swamp of my mind. I find the three essential prayers are ‘help me Lord’, ‘thank you Lord’, and ‘wow!’”
I pray for my family and for my friends in California, and elsewhere, and my belief, my faith tells me it helps. It is not magic, it is calling on the reality of God that truly hears us and loves us, and in his own time responds in ways that heal.
Yes, I would like to dispel my son’s pain of the loss of his wife, and the darkness that comes with survival guilt. But my faith tells me that God has already equipped him in ways that will guide him through this present darkness. The time will come when I believe he will find the ‘thank you Lord’ that will help him get to the ‘Wow!’ of gratitude.
The Point: The example of my son is just another way of saying, all of this applies to us as we move through life. We are faced with the mountains of trouble that scripture has warned us about. We learn from those times of difficulty. My hope is that we all know the reality of a God who is present, who hears us, who knows us, and who truly responds in his time to the prayers that are in line with his will. So be it with you. Amen.
Prayer for God’s Presence:
God, bless each and every person affected by this disaster and surround them with Your love, and protection. Let them know there are millions of us out here praying for them and their loved ones. We give You all the praise and glory forever, Lord, and know that even in the darkest of hours, You are always with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
