HOPE

Hello,

I pray that you have been able to experience the power of God's presence in your life this week.

As some of you may know, I am a news junkie. I like watching the news, listening to talk radio, and getting the latest updates on what is going on in the world around me. Unfortunately, this past week hasn't been a good week to be a news junkie. Every time I turn on the news I hear the story of the shooting tragedy in Tuscon that took 6 lives and wounded 14 others (one of them congresswoman Gabby Giffords). Not only do I hear the story again, but the images from that day flood the television screen...along with the image of the little nine year old girl who was killed. Seeing those images over and over again tends to have a negative effect after a while. I know I can turn off the news, and I often do, but the images seem to linger in my mind.

Locally, the past two weeks have created tragic images of their own. With the tragic death of Sammi Gaunt, a high school Senior, and the drowning death of a local 2 year old boy in the Arkansas River, images of tragedy and pain have been our constant companions recently. Mix all of this with the violence and unrest around the world, to which our news stations seem to flock, these images must have an unhealthy affect on our souls and our spirits.

I don't know aobut you but sometimes I shut off the television, stop reading the newspaper, and shut myself off from the world. No news is better than the news that's out there. This doesn't last too long and, unfortunately, I find myself being bombarded once again by the images and stories that communicate the darkest and most difficult realities of our humanity.

So, I'd like to offer the image above that pulls me out of the duldrums of life and removes the negative images in my mind. It is an image that, to me, is life-giving, hope-filled, and true. What does this image say to you?

(image received from www.schoolofabraham.com/pencilindex.htm and drawn by Jean Keaton)

Gracious God, I pray for our world that is full of tragedy and strife. I pray that our world does not become desensitized to the grave realities of our existence, but instead is able to put their trust and hope in You. As You have come to us in the image of Your Son, may I reflect His image in my own life and may Your life-giving Hope fill the darkest parts of my soul and the darkest corners of the world. In Your Holy Name I pray. Amen.