Rubble

www.arosetta.blogspot.com/

God must be doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work in my life even tho I question the day-to-day outcomes. Sometime wonder if I should "straighten out" some people (NOT) , then realize the best choice is waiting. UGH!

But I see God working in other people's lives. The link at the beginning is a young friend I've watched grow from girl to woman. I've seen her make choices, build on them, trust the people, and the God, with whom she has entrusted her heart. I've seen her follow opportunities, prioritize her family and their best interests, and let go of selfish inclinations to compare achievements or accumulation. In other words, she is not holding tightly to this world. She's responding to yearnings the One who made her is feeding.

I also know another woman who is experiencing other bumps and bruises of life that I don't want. She is battling fear and anxiety, reaching for the "protruding root" that will help her climb back up the banks of the dark river into which she has fallen. She has reached several times and found what she thought was a sturdy grasp was instead one more fledgling branch. I ache for her but know she is watching One who walks along the river, trying to point her to a secure path. Just yesterday she showed me more of her growth and faith. I can't pull her up -- she must find the path herself. But not alone.

Several friends are tending to aging parents. One just experienced the last family gathering they expect to have with "dad" while here on earth. Another is traveling 7-8 hours out of a two day trip to be with an ailing parent. The loss of a parent during our adult years is an ominous experience. Not wierd in the supernatural sense, but wierd like "how will I learn to walk through what you've experienced? how will I survive?" Yes, we're left dazed. It again becomes about our own deeply wretching sorrow.

Another friend is experiencing extreme stress in his professional world. That stress colors his judgment, which makes his entire perspective rock. Since we all interact with one another, our stress affects those close to us, despite our efforts to protect them. I pray for him.

And two more friends have found each other again after many years apart, and want to rush into each other's arms without wise counsel and careful preparation for dealing with issues that initially separated them. I care for them.

These and many other cares affect my faith in God. I look at the ones who are seeking him, and the ones who want to seek him, and then think about the ones who don't know that He is WHO they seek. Either God is all-knowing and -loving and -powerful as He says....... Either He created all I see and all I can't imagine that is beyond and keeps it running as long as He sees fit...... Either He cares about the most common birds that visit my back-yard seed pot..... or he is nothing. He can't be both.

I believe He cares. I believe He is in charge. I believe He is growing me and all who want to grow, daily, as He sees we're able to handle the challenges. I believe He is gently opening the eyes of our hearts, wiping away the crusty tears of disappointment, forgiving our fearful kicking and screaming as we realize we can't control much of what happens.

I believe this is love at its finest. Sitting with us in the rubble of our lives, holding us as we scream, rest, hope, and trust. It's a cycle that repeats itself despite good intentions. We're so human, so weak. God is so patient, so merciful.

Rest in his arms, in his care. Believe in his trust. It's our only hope in the devastation of reality.