Life has gifted me with experiences that have given birth to a series of truths that I hold close to my heart. I believe each is universal, available to all faith systems and those who have none. At the core of these truths is the belief that we are part of God’s family. We are not just associated with the community. We are brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. We are related in a way that is closer than blood. Divinity loves all with equal measure – those who do good as well as those that do evil, those that respond to love as well as those that run from it.
I have been wrestling with my truths. I do not have any experience that tells me that they are wrong. I have struggled because life has left pain at my doorstep. Deaths, funerals, illness that kill, broken relationships, and a sense of failure to do what I know needs to be done is just the beginning. As I sit in the early light of a new year, I see others struggling with me. I know that time will take the edge off the pain and anguish, but that does not make it any easier. My head is giving me answers but they are not reaching my heart.
There is a realization that comes in the quietness of the soft light of new day. In the truths of my life, Hope lives. I know God is in your life and mine. I know God is passionate about the details, even when we cannot see beyond our tears. I know God is crying with me. Life has extracted a cruel price from everyone involved. I know this reality but I also know there is a “but”. But, we hold the opportunity to bring love, compassion, and mercy to life. You and I can be agents of Love, ambassadors of Hope, and vehicles of Mercy. As I experience Hope, David’s words are real; “The mountain ranges skip like spring colts, the high ridges jump like wild kid goats.” (Psalm 29.6)
