"Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures."
~Psalm 16:9-11
It’s been quite a first quarter of the year, hasn't it? The news has repeatedly left many of us reeling. What has been happening in Ukraine now for over a month has left us feeling grieved, confused, overwhelmed, wanting to help but feeling powerless to do so.
I’ve seen some say that people on social media ought to know better than to post pictures of their beach vacations right now. Because, after all, isn’t that insensitive?
I’ve seen other people say that the only way through something like this is to look for & emphasize the beautiful. After all, we need to prioritize our own mental health & shouldn’t be dwelling on the ills of the world.
May I offer a third, perhaps somewhat balanced approach between the two?
May I encourage you to not dig your head in the sand & pretend bad things aren’t happening? We can’t be the hands & feet that we’re called to be if we aren’t aware of & compassionate towards the people and events that need the help, love, care, & truth of Christ.
But may I also encourage you to not get so drowned in the bad news that you do forget to see the gifts, the beauties, & the joys of God’s grace in every moment? We also can’t be the hands & feet that we’re called to be unless we have the hope & joy of Christ in our hearts, unless we are aware of His good gifts still to be found, unless we know that, in His presence, are pleasures forevermore.
And when you dofocus on those good gifts? Don’t stop there. Cause your awareness of Ukraine to drive you to be extra grateful for the gifts in your life instead of taking them for granted. And pray & seek to help those who don’t have those same gifts.
When my husband was deployed, it was hard for me to see people going on like normal posting about date nights, weekends with their man at home, etc. But you know what was harder? Seeing people talk about things like that & hearing them take it for granted. I never wanted people during the deployment to not enjoy family time - we are a military family so that other families have the freedom to be together. But the cry of my heart in that season was that people with intact families would please, please not take it for granted.
May the same be said of all of us in this time. May we look for the beauty, yes. But may we also not take it for granted. And out of that surplus, may we seek to bring beauty into the lives of those in need, too.
YES! Love this encouragement Rebekah!
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