I have a limited threshold for listening to the news.

My stomach churns and I swallow hard as I hear story after story of brokenness. Like shards of glass pieced together, the resulting mosaic has very few smooth edges.

Shards of large scale calamities.
Tsunamis swallowing entire villages.
Hurricanes ripping through hearts and homes.
Government corruption.
Human trafficking.
Missile attacks.
Economic instability.
School shootings.

All stemming from the same source — a bite of fruit in a perfect garden. I turn off the radio with a heavy sigh, unable to take any more.

But the shards of hardship are not just ‘out there,’ in the news. The jagged effects of the fall cut into everyday life.

Divorce.
Miscarriage.
Cancer.
Rebellious children.
Unemployment.

The list goes on, and begs the question: “Isn’t there any good left in the world?”

Cue Romans 8.

The red velvet curtain opens and another character appears on the stage, right in the midst of the chaotic scene called life. The trials and tribulations do not subside, but the wordless script of this newly revealed Person in the background transforms everything.

Tuesday morning sunrise

His very presence causes new elements to arise:

Hope. 
Purpose. 
Glory.

The suffering is no longer senseless; your pain has a purpose now.

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