All In A Days Grace

Beyond the age old question “why do bad things happen to good people?”; lurks the question .. ”what do I do with the feelings of anger, frustration and anguish when those bad things happen?” Most often we ask that question with the far-reaching hope, that there is a quick fix for this state of mind and heart. We want to be proactive in our desire to alleviate those frustrated angry feelings that scream out “ITS NOT FAIR!” I along with many others, try to limit my world news intake on a daily basis. It often means walking a fine line between keeping up with what is going on and a desire for the self-preservation of my heart. As a pastor my life often takes me to the front lines of tragedy with the people of my church. Walking through the raw behind the scenes moments of life with another person is a sobering and humbling journey.  It is these times that often take me to that desperate question. “What do I do with the feelings of anger, frustration and anguish when bad things happen ...

  Have you ever found yourself standing in church, music playing, people singing…..and you’ve got nothing? You stand there feeling numb and detached wondering if the people around you can sense your disconnect. You almost feel like a fraud amongst the crowd saying prayers and singing words to a song that in that very moment, mean nothing to you. Maybe if you sing louder, you think…maybe if I close my eyes…maybe if I really really try to be present, I’ll feel something; but you don’t . Then you start to wonder if you should even be singing! Should you even be praying? Should you have even showed up at church that day? Here you are in this holy place singing grace filled songs, praying faith filled prayers, just not feeling anything. What do we do with times like this? Should we disengage all together and wait until we “feel” like worshiping again? Should we retreat until the time feels right? Well, the reality is, that as Christians if we are faithful to spend time in worship ...