Thursday, July 24, 2014

a beautiful day?

My heart is filled with concern over the shooting down of the plane over Ukraine.  My heart is filled with concern over the general behavior and attitude of Russian leaders.  It reminds me of the cold war when I was a child.  My neighbors had a bomb shelter installed in their front yard.  We were always afraid of the Russians.  It is no fun to live with fear.

My heart is also filled with concern over what is taking place in Israel/Gaza.  It is a very complicated issue, but it is concerning none the less.  It is no fun to live with fear.

So here is my question.  Can it be a beautiful day when really bad things are happening in the world?  During WW2 did anyone write about what a beautiful day it was in God's world?  Did anyone say "be sure to see the good?"

While I don't want to be an ostrich and stick my head in the sand, while I don't want to ignore world events, we still have to see the good.  There must always be a reason to see the good.

If we can't strive to see the good when we are plagued by war, illness and poverty, what is the point?  Anyone can see the good when the sun is shining and the sky is blue.  I think that healthy people live life, L-I-V-E life even when things are bad.

There many be a lot of bad news but it is still a beautiful day in God's world,  be sure to see the good.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Roger's mother used to tell him to "look for the helpers". In bad situations, there are always
the helpers.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this perspective. I would bet that even these people who are deep in grief, or continually have to live in fear, would be among those to notice a rainbow if it appeared in the sky.

Sometimes people who are so oppressed in life can put us to shame when it comes to seeing the good.

Love your blog posts.

Marcie Gragg,Troop Committee Chair said...

You raised similar thoughts in your sermon two weeks ago on the forgotten virtue of joy. In the most difficult times, joy is the spark we see/imagine that leads to hope. We could say there is beauty in joy and joy in beauty, and that, absent of joy and beauty, it's harder to find hope. Thanks for sharing your thoughts daily, Jeff. They cause me to think more deeply.

Anonymous said...

Jeff, I had a big ah-ha moment last night, that caused me to take what you've shared in this post, up to a new level.

I was reading the third Chapter of Colossians and the second vs said that we are to set (dig in, secure, go for it) our minds on things above, not on things on the earth.

I love it when you encourage us every day to be sure to see the good. But when all the bad things happening in our world make us sad and discouraged, I want to not only see the good, but keep climbing higher to set my mind on the things of God.