All around it seems chaos is abounding...things happening and changing at rapid speeds...and last week was too much.
...news of a leadership change, bombs going off, senior night, a letter saying no to that which we were hoping for, explosions in West, terrorists captured...
The rubble of these things just seems to be laying around. We look and wonder what to do with this mess. In the aftermath of chaos I usually get to work. My hands must do something...anything. I spent the weekend finishing a few tasks and restoring order to places in the house that chaos has touched.
After chaos and the rubble is removed and things are put back in place. After it looks as if it never happened, houses are rebuilt, blood on a boat is wiped away, and denials are accepted...what then? My friend he wrote on facebook that our country used to feel safe and now it doesn't. Yes, we can sweep the streets and mend bodies but what about our hearts?
Sometimes the things that happened in the scriptures seem so far away. Yesterday's sermon reminded me of how timeless His Word is. There is Jesus sitting on the mountain with crowds surrounding him. He has spent countless hours healing the sick, giving freedom to those consumed, holding babies and feeding thousands. He has cleaned up the rubble in their lives and taken care of those that need immediate relief. Yet, they still remain...hanging around...following him. Why? What more do they want? After your illness is healed, why not go back home to your normal life?
I am certain that someone in that crowd was like me. Nine times Jesus says the word "blessed". Blessed and the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek and the peacemakers, the hungry and the merciful. This is how He began his teaching...by reminding them that even amidst the chaos and rubble...they are blessed.
I have spent the last few months hiding these words in my heart...memorizing these very words of blessings. Painting a door chalkboard black is my response to the chaos...the not knowing what is coming next. The words read bright on the door.
"Now faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see."--Hebrews 11:1
Faith is a now response to the past, present and future. The rubble becomes building blocks that God uses to build our faith and trust in Him. By faith we call ourselves blessed...in the middle of the chaos...and the rubble...we are blessed.
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