Family Prayer

Life is a gift.  I think this is something we would agree with, but I am not sure that we fully understand it all of the time.  We have the opportunity to learn and build, to try new things and succeed, to share ourselves and love each other.  These joys make life fun, but they’re not the end of it.  I believe that even the struggles are a gift.  Our trials and failures almost make life worthwhile.  They prove that there are things worth fighting for, and make the successes even more sweet.  And I think that all of this illustrates a God who intimately cares for us.  He desires joy for his children, but gives us the opportunity to learn from the pain about needs that we have that cannot be filled aside from His intervention.  He is present—he is the God of life—and His passion is walking alongside of us and guiding us through our search for life here on earth.

By no means is this easy.  There is so much pain, so much brokenness that so often we find ourselves utterly incapable of fighting.  Our very desires are at war against what we know is good and right.  Our hearts are constantly breaking because there’s something wrong with the life that we have here.  It is incomplete, not because God is not good, but because this is not the end.  This world is broken.  Most of the time the pains of life are almost tolerable, and the reality of the brokenness around us can be pushed aside; however, there are moments of clarity where our need for full life cannot be ignored.  At these times, we cannot help but be honest with ourselves, and God is there, too.

Death is a gift.  Not one to be taken, but one that is given at the right time, when our work is done.  After all, this world is broken and incomplete.  All of our striving comes to nothing as things decay and we run out of strength, unless there is some sort of renewal.  As much as we try to put our joy on display, we cannot ignore the reality that there is pain here that we cannot outrun.  Burdens only get heavier, and our struggles pile on as we throw ourselves into more and more, seeking reprieve.  God wants us to be with him, but no matter how hard we try, we will never trust Him perfectly.  We will always strive for wholeness apart from Him, because this brokenness is the only reality that we have ever known.  Even if our lives are full of good things, we are just not meant to run apart from the Lord of life forever.

Our perspective right now is that this life is the end.  That all of our goals and hopes for ourselves need to be accomplished here, or we miss out.  Why do we find ourselves striving so hard for things that we are not ready for, or do not really desire?  Why do we worry so much about missing out on experiences?  We cannot see the full picture.  We do not trust the Father’s goodness.  We do not understand that all of these things that we desire are meant to illustrate the characteristics of God, and that in our rampant desire for things, we really need Him.  This world, as wonderful as it may seem at times, is really a prison.  It is padded, dressed up to seem livable, but we are not free here.  God gave us a time to learn what we need here, to serve Him and love His people, and then to pass on into His comfort and restoration.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,

A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

What I have been most challenged with recently is trusting God to sustain me and make this life worthwhile.  I am tired.  I have been striving to live with purpose, but I am still broken.  I run the wrong way, knowing full well that life is with Jesus, but wanting the quick satisfaction that the world promises and never provides.  I want to be known and loved, but I am afraid of being passed over or let down.  I want to make a difference, but I so often feel like I am not needed—in the way, even.

These times of suffering force us to be honest with ourselves.  We want so much of life, but we are faced with the truth that these things—our accomplishments, relationships, possessions—do not solve the problem.

Our perspective is faulty, but if only we could see that Jesus is what we seek.  He is the life that we so desire.  He is the wholeness that we try to portray.  He is the one worth striving for.  He is the artist behind the beauty that we are drawn to.  He is the one worth working for, serving, even sacrificing for.  He is the only one that can really provide rest.  We have been given good desires that point to who our Father is, and aching desires that show us how much we need Him.

I believe that he is actively working in and through our lives, and I trust His promise of the joys of this life and a future restoration that will dwarf even the greatest joys that we will experience on this earth!