never change

i have a lot on my mind today.
heavy hearted, you might say.

when the unexpected tragedies of life occur, even when they are not directly connected to me, my soul aches just for a while. this week i have been made aware of some things that just arent right.

there was a meeting at our office the other day about human trafficking. when i heard the topic i thought it was a strange thing to have a meeting about, then i learned that it is a major problem in our city. with two major highways intersecting, drugs arent the only thing traded in the networks of criminals. i wasnt in the meeting, and im glad. there are things i choose not to know about. an awareness is one thing, details are very much another.

last night a local pastor died in a motorcycle accident. he left the church to go home and get his wife so she could be with him at the evening meal and church service, but he never made it to his wife. i woke up a lot last night thinking of this family, praying for this family and for this church, i just wonder if they got any rest at all.

my baby boy isnt feeling well. hes been complaining about his stomach (which i thought was a ploy to stay up late.) it seems to be bothering him more, because last night when i threatened with the emergency department, he said he thought we should go. we didnt go. i got him to relax and get some sleep. hes still asleep now, and i have my fingers crossed that hes feeling better when he gets up. its such a helpless feeling when i have a baby who is sick. i cant do anything to make him better.

it never changes- bad stuff happens.
and when it does, i try to remember one simple phrase: ..."but God..."
He is rich in mercy. He is satisfying. He is in control. He is prophet, priest and King.
bad stuff happens, but God is God.
i have been encouraged beyond words to be a part of a church where people get it. i have seen deacons serving, a pastor weeping, a congregation praying, and i think to myself, "this is the church being the church." in the midst of all the bad, sometimes i cant help but see the good. --even if its not a natural thing for me.