Lead us to the good stuff......

I was in church this morning and I had this overwhelming sense that like my own family, our church family was making its' way out of the tunnel of crisis and pain that they too have been in over the last couple years.  Colorado Springs has had two major fires with lives and homes lost. We have had a number of deaths due to illness, suicide, accidents and even murder. Our church body has been there to help our community navigate through it all.  And yet, during that time there have been a number of changes in staff, some church members have left and there has seemed to be a spirit of restlessness.  Pain and crisis often brings restlessness, impatience and sometimes unforgiveness and blame.  I am grateful to be part of a church whose leadership has stayed the course, done the work, sought the Lord and brought us to a sweeter depth than before.  As I sat in the pews this morning my spirit was filled with a sense of excitement for what is ahead.

My experience in church this morning reminded me that the outcome of pain is worth the work it requires.  God continues to teach me this lesson.  As I live with pain I am continually given the opportunity to choose what I will do with it.  There are days when those around me might be out of sorts, I might feel out of sorts and it seems so much easier to just lash out, walk away, ignore what I am feeling, or not have that difficult conversation.  Yet that momentary "easier choice" really just delays the hard work that is necessary; it prolongs the pain and can cause more pain. 

I cannot really run from the pain, it will  just follow me.  I'm reminded of Jonah who tried to run from where God told him to go.  Remember where he ended up?  In a big slimy whale.  God gathered him up in a slimy whale to get him to STOP his running and LISTEN UP. I don't want to be caught up in a whale because of fear of doing the hard things.  I want to be where He wants me to be even if it is  hard. My experience tells me that this choice brings a sweet depth to my life and depth is what I'm after.

My pain has altered my life.  It will never look the same.  Colorado Springs will never look the same.  But we can still look ahead with excitement to what is ahead.  I trust my God to lead me and my city through the hard stuff and lead us to the good stuff.