What a week it has been, both on a large scale for the whole country and on a small country in my own life and the lives of people I know.
-28 people dead in Connecticut in a shooting at an elementary school.
-An old college friend's brother in the hospital with antibotic-resistant pneumonia and kidney failure.
-Friends struggling with unemployment, depression, financial problems, family issues, and so much more.
-Daily struggles in relationships and learning how to follow God better.
-Final exams and papers.
Two major things have come to mind after all these events that have taken place in the last week:
-First of all, how blessed I am and how small my problems are compared to what they could be. An event like the one that happened in CT this past week makes me feel almost ashamed for getting overwhelmed over final papers. It also makes me realize how ungrateful I am, how much I take things for granted—not least of all, how much I take God's Word and the hope that I have in Him for granted. Obviously I cannot imagine going through such an unspeakable tragedy like the families of those lost in CT this week. But I also cannot imagine living in a world where such tragedies happen without knowing that God is God. People question how God could let these things happen, where He was in a situation like this, and so on. And it's hard not to wonder why such a thing happened, least of all at an elementary school. It's heartbreaking. But at the end of the day, I know God is sovereign, and I know God is loving. No, it's not "fair" for these things to happen. No, it doesn't take away the pain. We live in a tragically broken world. But praise God, there is hope beyond this world and the brokenness that fills it. By the grace of God, one day this broken, tragic world will pass away, and instead we will be in a perfect, holy, new, unblemished one. No more sin, no more pain, no more tears, no more brokenness. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
-The second thing that has been on my mind in light of all these events of the past week is that even while I make too big a deal of things I shouldn't, and even while I don't realize how good I have things, and even while my priorities are such that I think my life is overwhelming over things that are ultimately *so* insignificant…God still cares. God is God. He cares not only about the big problems like a senseless killing spree, but also about the little problems, like a fifteen-page paper that's stressing me out. This is not at ALL to say that my problems are equally important in any way to those of the families in CT, but to say that God cares about them all. His eye is on the rise and fall of cities, yes, but also on the sparrow. If something matters to me, if something effects my daily life, God not only knows about it, but also cares about it, and cares about bringing me nearer and nearer to Him through it.
God, whether our problems be big or small, thank You for knowing them and knowing how they make war upon our souls, threatening to drown us with each passing moment. Sustain us, O God. Let us not go down to the pit, but place our feet on the solid ground of your love and provision, despite the ever-growing turmoil that threatens to turn us aside. Help us to trust You with our problems. Help us to draw nearer and nearer to You with each new attack that Satan, our own fallenness, and the brokenness of this world bring upon us. Save us, O LORD. Help us not to let any problem, big or small, turn us from You. Kyrie eleison.
