crazy & unexpected

Life is crazy.  It'd be a misleading statement if I added "right now" to the end of that sentence [Is right now not the only time life is crazy?! Whattt?].  I'll be honest -- "and unexpected" is a more-appropriate ending.

Life is crazy and unexpected.

Can anyone honestly disagree with that? [no, you can't.]

We plan for things to go a certain way, and they never turn out as we thought they would.  Our schedules are jam-packed with times to be places and see people, and somehow those don't always work out either.  The items on our to-do lists we that write and re-write, sit impatiently waiting to be marked off.

And then there's the things we don't plan for at all.  The things that come out of the blue without us having any awareness that they might happen.  Things like your my transmission deciding it needs to be replaced unexpectedly.  And events like the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday.  We don't plan for those things.  In fact, we hope and pray that they never happen.

But, unfortunately, they do happen.  Because we live in a fallen world and because God has blessed us with the gift of free will.  And the combination of the two can be devastating.  So we get sad, angry, and upset when bad things happen.

Satan has a tight grasp on our world: influencing the flimsy in faith to act against the One who loves them; manipulating our minds to believe things lies that aren't true; festering insecurities in our hearts; whispering in our ears that Sunday mornings are for sleeping in and that getting on Facebook is more important than spending time in God's Word.

So what do we do in these times when Satan is attacking us from every angle?  There are a lot of options.  Here are the two I find most beneficial:

1. Cling.  [to God and to what is good]

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.  

I cling to your right hand, for it upholds me.  

Psalm 63: 7-8  

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  

Romans 12:9

2. Pray.  [always and about everything]

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.  

Romans 12:12  

Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything.  

With thankful hearts, offer up your prayers and requests to God.  

Philippians 4:6

Although we may not ever understand why things happen the way they do, we can always rely on the Holy Spirit to comfort us with unmatchable peace.  When all we want to do is cry our eyes out, Jesus waits with open arms to comfort us.  Our God is great, and although the world we live in does not always reflect His glory, His love for us is  unsurpassable and He waits for us to run to His embrace.