True Hope

This morning it all feels so much more real. Watching the beautiful tiny faces and hearing their names...it's just so incomprehensible to actually fathom. I am sobbing thinking about the reality of waking up this morning and instead of getting your son or daughter ready for school, you pass by their empty room. I posted this video on Facebook yesterday not really thinking about that reality. I watched it again this morning just sobbing over it because even though my son is a 2 1/2 month baby, he is already so ingrained in our family. His presence brings such joy and we are so incredibly in love with him. It's hard to imagine him not being with us and a part of our family. We dream about his life and have been since we first knew we were having him- what will he look like when he's a toddler, what will his favorite subjects and sports be while he is in school, what will he be like as a teenager, where will he go to college, who he will marry and so many more things. I think about these things with hope, excitement, and anticipation and not once with the thought that they won't happen. Even as a Christian and knowing we aren't promised tomorrow, I don't think that way with my son, my nieces, my nephew, my cousins children, our friends sweet kids. But then horrifying tragedies happen like what happened at Sandy Hook, and you realize it isn't far from any of us.

 

Yesterday at church our pastor said that in the face of such a horrible reality, we must affirm three things.

1. Evil exists in the world

2. God is sovereign

3. God is good

This is displayed in all of scripture and is true today. Knowing that such a disgusting act is even possible we know that evil is very real. But because we know that evil is real, good must be real. There must be a moral author who has established what is good and what is evil. God is this author and has written the ultimate story on each of our hearts. And the truth is, we have evil in all of our hearts. That is why we need a perfect Savior who took upon every dispicable sin for us. He bore the weight of the black, ugly, hideous evil ever committed. He took it to the grave and rose again so someday we get to live with him in perfect peace. He did all of that because he loves us- so much. He knows our hearts- even the ugly parts- and he intimately passionately loves us and pursues us. He wants to wrap his loving arms around us and give us true peace.

So it's in times we must cling to Jesus because its in Him true hope is found. It's not found in more funding for mental health programs, increased gun laws, better security for schools...although those things must be discussed and aren't bad ideas, they aren't the answer. Jesus is the answer and until he comes back to restore true peace to the world, nothing can come close to solving problems that we have.

If you are reading and you have never known true peace that only Christ brings, please know that God longs to give you that perfect peace through Jesus. He wants to be the comforter to your heart. All you have to do is ask him...