Alot for an hour and a half on Sunday morning.

November 16, 2008

We went to church this morning. It's a church we've visited a few times before when we'd visit Michigan, I've always liked it but doubted it was a place I would actually want to settle into for various reasons. But we'd gone a couple times since moving back here and as shallow as it may sound, the clincher to choosing to stay there was that the twins don't scream the whole time they are in their class. I love the church's involvement in community and outreach to people. And after the last couple of Sunday's the main reason I want to stay is that the messages continue to stretch me a little more every time, it's making my faith bigger. Today was about suffering and whether God allows it or causes it. Touchy topic, depending on what you believe and being someone, who on the scale of suffering doesn't even register, it's hard for me to come close to imagining what it actually means to suffer. I've seen suffering, but it can be so far away most of the time that it fades quickly, too quickly. I don't want to forget about it, I want to change it, stop it, make it better. I believe we learn more when we have the hard days and then the easy days we take for granted. And if we're being honest, most of our days are easy days. People like to ask "Where was God when this or that happened?" and my question is "Where were you?" God has put us here to be the hope and help people need. I also believe God was there the whole time, just not like you'd think. So church today was kind of deep for me, and made me ask my own questions about suffering and my part (or lack of) in relieving some of that pain for others. It meant something to me, enough to share on here so, take it for what you want. I am refusing to be numb to a God who loves in a world that hurts. Whether it's a friend or a stranger across the planet, I am called to help, and so are you.