Dear Friends,

I am aware that disappointment is a very real part of the human experience. In many instances, disappointment is merely the precursor to more difficult emotions such as heartache, grief, depression, fear, despair, and loneliness.

All of these feelings are real and, often, appropriate. This week, 36 families in the Kibera Slum lost every single one of their possessions in a fire. My 98-year-old mother lives daily with depression, fear, and loneliness. In the Sudan (which happens to be the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet), more than 100 people are dying daily from starvation. A few weeks ago, a 16-year-old boy from Bedford, New York was the victim of death by suicide.

Our sacred literature declares that those in pain will find comfort, that those who mourn will see the dawn of a new day, that those who are void of hope will find life-giving purpose. But when? How? What do we say to the 16-year-old before it is too late? What do we say to the mother of a starving child? What do we say to a husband or a wife whose spouse is losing the battle with some disease?

The answers are not simple, particularly in the face of seemingly unmanageable emotions. Perhaps we start with simple declarations. Time is time. Our lives are short. To love is to risk loss. Love is never far. You are not alone. God is. You are forgiven. Practice resurrection.

Sometimes life is really hard. Sometimes it is less so. Circumstances are real. But what if, by faith in God and the people of God, circumstances (and the feelings that go with them) do not have the last word? That would be good news. I am going to choose to believe in that good news one day at a time.

See you on Sunday.

Love,

Carter