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Thursday, December 25, 2014

Where is God?

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December 25, 2014
A letter from Glenn:

Hello Everyone,

In the family torn apart by addiction, in the midst of tragedy, financial ruin, joblessness, loneliness, depression, sickness and any other inevitable heartache life brings, one question is asked more than any other: where is God?

The angry, sad, hurt, frustrated heart cries out: How can you just sit there, silently, and do nothing while the world burns? Where are you? It's an understandable question. Anyone who mocks it or brushes it aside simply has yet to experience the heartache that brings them to their knees and compels their pleading, helpless eyes towards the heavens. But that time will come. It always comes. The old saying goes there's only two things that are guaranteed in life: death & taxes. I'd like to amend that cliché and add suffering. Who among us has not experienced pain? It is an unrealistic expectation to sail through life without any trial or tribulation. No one in the history of planet earth has ever accomplished this feat, why should we expect to be the first?

Pain is an inevitable part of life, therefore we should not take lightly when someone is questioning God's role in all of this. So how does God factor into all of this?

Many are putting God on trial, claiming He's done nothing, is an absentee father.

That's a heavy indictment. I realize that God is quite capable of fashioning His own defense, nevertheless, please allow me to take a moment and present the alibi. I contend that despite the sadness and pain in the world, He is absolutely there, and He is absolutely doing something. More than just something, something miraculous.

It's Christmas, and lost in all the presents and commercialism it is easy to lose sight of the significance of what the baby Jesus all wrapped up in a manger actually means. The King of the universe, the Creator of all things, the Author of life, the first and the last, actually humbled himself and took on flesh to dwell among us is something to behold. Angels filled the sky singing praises. He was called Immanuel, God with us.

Truly a miracle, but that was just the beginning of this story. The angels celebrated the arrival of the baby, but the reason we celebrate thousands of years later has less to do with the birth of the baby and everything to do with the death and resurrection of the man. After rising from the grave, what did Jesus tell His disciples? "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"

He is with us always. Jesus promised to leave behind a helper and did so with the Holy Spirt. We don't need help creating our best lives now, be super happy and never experience pain. No, help was sent to help us complete the job. Before he left, Jesus commissioned us to go, make disciples, and teach them to obey everything I commanded.

Everything He commanded. There's a lot of commands. Visit the orphan & widow in their distress, help the poor and needy, comfort those who mourn, and most importantly love the Lord with all your soul & love others as yourself.

See, we're really good at loving ourselves. We know how to do that one without thinking about it. We're selfish. We need help to turn our focus around and into a life of service, where others needs are put ahead of our own.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where God is. In all of us. How does the world know about God? When we love one another, they will see Him.

This week at the ranch I saw God.

He was at the local food bank, picking up a bag of popcorn balls and bringing joy to others who (just like him) can't afford every meal. He was wearing a red shirt, red sweat pants, and a homemade Santa beard he had made from yarn. He's at the food bank every Saturday and has been doing so for 12 years. He is a simple man who knows how to give away pallets of joy as if it just grew on trees. He was doing all of this while taking care of an orphaned child as his own.

God IS with us.

He is there for the widow.

He is there for the orphan.

The lonely hearted.

The hungry.

The tired.

The lost.

The sick.

Nothing? Oh, God has done something amazing. He created you, and me and billions of other human beings, the imperfect agents of His will. Each of us with the opportunity to make it abundantly clear that God is truly with us until the end of the age.

We won't be perfect, but we can give those in the midst of suffering a teeny tiny glimpse of the glory that awaits in the next life. We can prove that God does indeed exist, cares, and is absolutely present in every aspect of every precious life.

Be a miracle to someone this Christmas season.

God Bless,
 


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