The Storms of Life

We received word yesterday morning that our firstborn, Sarah, will have to leave Canada--"deported" is the word she used--because her paperwork for renewal of her immigration status was incomplete.  As you might imagine, she was devastated, and our hearts broke for her.  So far away, so little we could do, she depended on friends to put her up for the night and get her to the airport so she could come home to live with us for a while.  With only the clothes on her back, she arrived subdued and in shock last night.

We have embraced her with prayers over the past twenty-four hours and now as well with our hugs.  She will be fine, but the pain is real and the future is unsure.  It's in time's like these that we need to be family, not with solutions or plans, but with love and service.

In recent weeks, we've been inundated with pictures and video of the tragic devastation that has taken place around the world.  Cyclones, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods...these wreak havoc with lives, families and communities, leaving a wake of destruction in their path.  In a large number of instances, homes can be replaced and over time villages rebuilt.  What can't be erased are the loss of life and the scars that accompany these experiences for all involved.

If I've learned anything over the past day from my daughter's experience, it is that we're all in this together.  We have to do what we can to love others and serve them, without theologizing or blaming or pretending we have all the answers to the "whys" of life. 

It's in times like this that we have to stand up and be the family of God.  Love someone today for Jesus' sake; serve them with humility and strength that He alone can give.  And let's allow our Lord to share with them His wisdom personally--even regarding the value of the scars--as they endure the storms of life.