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I’m speaking those words to myself today and I’m certain I’m not the only one who needs to hear them. It is 10:45 am and I haven’t turned on the television today, but I already know the chaos continues. If I’m not careful I can spiral down the rabbit hole of dread and despair.

In the rabbit hole, there are others that feel my pain. Here’s the deal, we were created for human connection, even if that connection is centered around chaos. We hear the saying “misery loves company”, but the truth is, happiness loves company too. Its whatever connects us.

Currently, a virus is connecting us, and you see the best in humanity on display, giving, sharing, loving. Interestingly enough, that goodness has been there all along. Our political and social issues haven’t changed. What changed is our perspective. When I was younger our family had some spats of disagreements like most families. However, if a playground bully attacked one of our family members, forgetting our differences, we banded together to fight the common enemy.

That which causes our differences and disagreements are trivial to that which makes us common. Our differences are not insignificant, but they shouldn’t keep us from working together. They are not keeping us from working together now. After our dread and despair is over, we most likely will pick up our differences and disagreements and place them back on display. Temporary amnesia will tell us that there is no way we can solve these differences, that it is impossible to work with the other side.

One day maybe we will realize that we are ok. That we are doing better than we think we are. Yes, there are always going to be some bad apples just like there are always going to be some disagreements and then some common enemy we need to fight. How about we don’t ever forget that we know how to do this together. That happiness wants just as much company as misery. It’s ok to let go of our need to be right.

You’re OK! You can let go of the hurt of the past and the fear of the future. We can turn on the television and discover that it’s not as bad as we thought, even if it’s not good, there is a ray of hope.

Jesus is the only hope that we have. He is the only one that makes it ok. He makes us OK. He doesn’t just wave a magic wand He uses people even people that disagree. What He desires most is that we walk in unity and not just in a crisis. We were created for community and that community was designed to be made up of differences. Differences of opinion, differences in appearance but the one thing that should never change is LOVE. Without it we will never be ok.

Photo by David Kiriakidis on Unsplash

Are you done yet? I am. I’m so done with the chaos, the hurt and pain, the finger pointing and lack of respect that I see in our nation today. It’s almost as if we have lost our way. The struggle I’m having is that we don’t seem to want to get back. Not necessarily back to the way things were, but back to faith, hope and love. Respecting one another even if we disagree. Acknowledging indifferences and working together to resolve them. On top of all else it’s an election year and the venom is already spewing. When will it all end. When will enough be enough. If this was a carnival ride I would be asking them to hit the breaks because I want off. However, this is life and we can’t escape it. We must endure even when we feel like giving up. So, how do we find comfort in chaos? We cling to the one who gives hope. The Apostle Paul writes, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 1 Corinthians 1:8b-9 If God has the power to raise the dead then surely he has the power to deal with our mess. So, be still my heart and endure.

Yep, Clickbait! There are no three things never to say to God in prayer. There is nothing that we can’t say to God, who is a loving Father, and already knows anyway. I don’t know where we got this misconceived notion that there are certain things we can’t talk to God about. Or that we can never be mad, disappointed, or even angry at God. We have reduced God to this proverbial church box.

Well, I have news for you that I hope is liberating. God can handle your mess and your emotions. He is not some flimsy, weak being that shrieks at any difficulty. When God said, “Come, let us reason together…” (Isaiah 1:18), He meant just that. In that passage He wasn’t extending that invitation to people who had it all together, far from it, He was talking to people who had repeatedly messed up. But He loved them just as He loves you and me.

We make prayer so complicated with all the religious rules we add to it. It doesn’t have to be. It is a simple dialogue between a Father and His children. Yes, I said dialogue; often, we give God a list of our wants and needs then skip out on Him before He has a chance to speak to us. How rude! No relationship thrives when it is onesided.

Honestly, there are a few things that have gotten me nowhere in prayer (but I said them anyway) 1: God can’t! Yeah, I know He can but will He for me. 2: I won’t! The thing He is prompting me to do is NOT on my life agenda. 3: How Come? This thing I want IS on my life agenda but not in His plan for me.

When the Bible says to fear God, it is was not talking about being afraid but having great respect. So respectful, bring Him all of you, your mess, and your emotions. He can handle it.