The world around me is chaos, even beyond the stirrings of my own making. People hurting, lives hanging in the balance, and uncertainty at every corner are just the beginnings of the storms. I no longer have any idea who is the victim or the victor. It isn’t clear who is winning and who isn’t. Even the obvious aggressor and target is getting less and less obvious. Everyone seems to have moments where the god within takes over and imposes havoc on any and everyone around them. Everyone seems to be a victim at one point or the other. Disaster and moments of awe inspiring love touch those deserving and those less so.
I wish I could understand the world I live in. My confusion isn’t new. It has existed for centuries. In one prophet’s notes the confusion, difficulty, and uncertainty came through in his words. “A Message concerning the desert at the sea: as tempests drive through the Negev Desert, coming out of the desert, that terror-filled place, a hard vision is given me: the betrayer betrayed, the plunderer plundered. Attack, Elam! Lay siege, Media! Persians, attack! Attack, Babylon! I'll put an end to all the moaning and groaning.” (Isaiah 21.1, 2)
You and I live in a world increasingly complex, confusing, and painful. There are awesome moments of beauty interspersed by gripping nightmares played out in the lives of the good, bad, rich, poor, and everyone between. I don’t know if there is any hope of really grasping the details. Yet I know there is a answer which works for anyone willing to see the bigger picture. Confusion can be managed by the following;
Live in the moment; enjoy what is.
Respond to the opportunities which present themselves.
“We” are about community, not about the “I” which lives in it.
Confusion in your life and mine will probably continue to increase. Living in the present will be increasingly difficult yet it is the opportunity which is available to all. Divinity is willing to share this space; live to enjoy the opportunity.
