Good in the world

It can be very discouraging and even depressing when we learn about all the horrors that infiltrate our world.  More so... feelings of terror, hopelessness, confusion, and sadness can fill our minds and hearts when we are bombarded with news headlines of fatal car accidents, murders, persecution, terrorism, abuse, and the list goes on and on.  

It makes your heart ache.  It makes you cry out and beg God to come back now so the pain of this world can be left behind.

This morning, I opened my computer to update our budget.  As I finished, the name of an author and speaker popped into my head (I greatly enjoy this woman's writings) and I typed her name into the Google search, Shauna Niequist.  I went to her blog and began reading a few of her posts.  

She recently posted about the loss and grievances of miscarriages or losing an infant.  As I read through the comments on that post, my eyes filled with tears and my heart was filled with encouragement.  Person after person wrote about their experience losing a child, most were unborn, and people responded with such love and care.  Strangers.  Complete strangers responded with love, care, and empathy to one another.  And I thought... what a beautiful thing.  People truly caring for one another, even though they've never met.  

I don't think it's a coincidence that an experience that brings such grief can produce such love.  I imagine God is smiling as His people are practicing Jesus' love to another in the midst of such heartache... all while He is holding those precious babies in His loving arms in a special place where they are in pain no more.

Today, my heart smiles at the good in the world.  Jesus' love is shining brightly today.