what is it that's really important?
There's a lot of really bad stuff going on in the world. Some of it is global. Some of it is national. And some of it is very, very personal.
People die. People get sick. People are no good to each other, abusing kids and family. People say mean things, do mean things. People can be malicious and thoughtless and cruel.
Sometimes children get caught in the mix. These innocent young people, who deserve everything and have done nothing offensive, often bear the brunt of the world's most heinous actions.
Some, in their anguish, would be justified to exclaim why? Why would a loving God allow this to happen? Doesn't he care for these little ones? Doesn't he want them to enjoy the same quality of life that the rest of us enjoy?
I was raised in an environment relatively free of these kinds of problems. My parents genuinely loved and cared for us - there were seven of us - while dealing with their own issues. Now that I am a parent I have come to understand and appreciate what a Herculean effort this is at times. And I am grateful.
God does send angels to help these little ones. Where parents - both father and mother - are absent, incapable, or otherwise not available, the responsibility falls to each of us in turn to assist. We are each given opportunities to reach into each other's lives and love and lift, build and bolster, strengthen and stabilize. Fascinatingly, we find ourselves lifted in the process. Helping another human being understand his lot in life, or even just standing with your hand on his shoulder while he weeps, makes us better people: more refined, more gentle, kinder, and more loving.
I certainly don't have the answers. I am OK with that. I know unequivocally that God lives and loves us. His love is perfect and His understanding surpasses all. I don't know why good people suffer, why children are caught in the crossfire of death, disease, divorce, poverty - life. But I know that it gives US an opportunity to raise up these young people, and in the process find out for ourselves what is really important.
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