All Is Not Right

The weather is perfect this morning – sunshine, a slight breeze and just a touch of crispness in the air.  Little t can’t help but escape the house and let out a big WOW as he runs around the yard in the beauty.  He plays with kAkA who is picking up the leaves that are rapidly floating to the ground and I hear both of them laugh.  The bunny hops over to say good morning and I revel in the silky softness of his fur.  I drink my coffee and soak in the morning while Little t helps kAkA, chases the bunny and laughs like crazy.

Coffee in hand, laughing boy in sight, soft breeze against my skin, I take a deep breath.  The thought that all is right with the world passes through my mind.

The reverie is broken by the clash of reality. An Apache helicopter flies overhead, so close that it thumps in my chest – a reminder of ‘the battle for hearts and minds’ that is being fought on so many fronts in this land. The sound of bickering neighbors floats over the wall on the perfect early morning breeze. The drone begins its daily routine. Two kids fight in the street, one of them crying as physical force is no doubt used to make the other’s point.  I kick myself as I think back to my crappy attitude towards my beautiful son over trivial little things. My heart is heavy for a friend who lost a beautiful child yesterday – she was Little t’s age. I have no words. 

And my heart aches as I am once again reminded that all is not right with the world.

There is a pain and urgency in these days that makes me whisper ‘Come Lord Je.sus’ as I go about life.  I have never been one to plead with the Lord to make His appearance. I have always felt like it was a selfish way to get out of a crappy world when there were too many who weren’t ready for Him to come back. Too many lives disrupted, looking for hope, begging for peace. 

But oh how I long for hope and restoration - in my own sinful and selfish life, in the broken souls of those around me, in this hurting world. 

Our hearts hang in the balance in these days.  It seems like every day here is numbered and the work only continues to grow.  Security does not improve, our work is questioned and at anytime the thugs of government could opt for us to leave. But the urgency remains. The more we get to know people, the more we long to share hope with them. Oh how we pray for a breakthrough in these days. 

We are motivated in these days to work hard and to love harder. To dive deep into the lives of those around us so that at every turn we have the opportunity to be love and hope to the dear souls we come into contact with daily. 

The beauty of It is that the joys of life here FAR outweigh the stinky things.  For that we are so thankful.  We laugh and we love and we live. And we whisper in still moments, “Come Lord Je.sus, come and make all right with the world.”