Learning to Fly - Finding Hope Again

It has been a really difficult week. Our nation mourns together again for lost innocence. Friends and loved ones joined together for a night of fun, which turned into a bloodbath and terror. How can we cope with the myriad feelings of loss, great sadness, anger, frustration, uncertainty and fear?

Many are choosing to focus on the good side of humanity that emerged amid the carnage. Heroic efforts by so many to save the wounded; people risking their own lives for strangers. As these stories emerged, little drops of hope filled the chasm of pain we felt.

There is still good in the world.

I am forced to have CNN on in my office. For someone who rarely even watches the local news, this has been an adjustment. Every horrific act of mankind against mankind is emblazoned in large banners across the screen, whether I want to see it or not.

Over the last year that I've worked there, I cannot count how many times I have been brought to despair by this constant barrage of bad news as I try to do my job. My sensitive spirit becomes crushed with despair, and I mourn the loss of the peace we strive so hard to find.

Then, in steps the indomitable human spirit. We try to work through our grief, and we get on with the busyness of living. Gradually our intense sadness is replaced by an aching feeling of loss. Life really does go on, and we are committed to living again, trying to make sense of a senseless tragedy.

I fear we will become desensitized.

We have to move forward, so we do. We have to begin to fade the memories of the horror and devastation, or we will keep living in fear and desperation. We must find a way to keep living in hope. We need an anchor for our soul.

We pray for those affected, and we pray for a better world. We hold our loved ones close, and leave our petty grievances aside, at least for a few days. We strive for some normalcy, keeping our routines. And gradually, we begin to feel less anxious and more in control.

But where do we find hope?

I think that may be different for everyone. And I think the healing process is different for everyone, too.

We will never understand the mind of someone bent on the destruction of human life. We can never make sense of a senseless tragedy such as this.

But we can find rest. Rest from our fears and constant worry. A safe refuge to share all of our anger and frustration, our sadness and our fear.

We can turn to the One who can restore us, who will bring us out of the darkness into the light again.

We can trust in God to be Sovereign over all the earth. We can lean on God and not on our own understanding. Knowing God in our lives really can ease the pain of the trials of this life. We have somewhere to turn when the world makes no sense. We can find comfort and refuge, and peace.

Pour out your heart to God. Let go of all that you are carrying inside. And the peace that passes understanding will find your spirit, and give you the strength to carry on.

I pray for you, my friend, and I pray for our world. This is a fallen world we live in. It is up to us to find the Light, and to follow it. ♡