Tip of My Iceberg

It was one of those days where everything felt hard. I’m quite fortunate that my life is not filled with suffering from illness or loss of a job. I really have nothing to complain about.

That doesn’t stop me from periodic whininess.

I’d been privileged to hear challenging stories that friends shared vulnerably. The kind of stories that impact how you show up in day-to-day living, that influence how you react to different situations.

It was a gift to share in their reflections.

Lately, I’ve been privy to several conversations like this, and my heart felt weary. Heavy. Hurting for others. Like someone had punctured my heart and it slowly leaked out, and sadness filled the hole.

When I finally went to bed that night, all I could think about was my inability to handle all that sadness. I wasn’t going to numb it with chocolate or binging on Hallmark movies. It was sacred space, something I wanted to honor with my friends.

But my heart was tired. I was tired.

When I got up in the morning, the sunrise was incredibly spectacular. The colors were tinted with the rain clouds that cluster around Florida this time of year. The beauty reminded me that another day had begun. No matter what had happened the day before, a new day showed up.

Jeremiah has been referred to as the weeping prophet. The two books he wrote, Jeremiah and Lamentations, are brimming with the difficulties and suffering he encountered as he tried to speak to his countrymen about their unfaithfulness to the God who had saved them time and again from their messy ways.

“The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:19-23

Jeremiah had pleaded with his people to be faithful to the Lord, and yet they’d turned their backs on God and followed idols and committed atrocities that saddened his heart.

But he knew God to be faithful. That even when people turn their backs on God, He never turns His back on us. He longs for us to know Him as our Redeemer and Friend, our Fortress and Safe Harbor.

Pain is everywhere. Hurting people are all around us. All I need to do is turn on the news to find out how messed up our world is.

God isn’t fickle or faithless. His mercies are renewed every day because it’s in His character to be faithful.

Just like the sun rising, whether we see it or not.

It happens. All the time.