Translating a World on the Edge

A hard rain is often cleansing.  Roofs of houses, toys left in the yard, pollen-covered driveways and patios are washed by the rain. And then comes the sun.

Think of  the  first rays of sunlight after a hard rain, when  the grass, flowers, crops,  and trees are still wet. Recall how the sunlight falls  upon the leaves and petals, causing them to glisten, and in the process,  dries them.

This is similar to what happens after a tragedy, one we desperately pray will not come, yet it does.

The tragedy may be thrust upon us by another person’s imperfections, or it may have come about from our own transgressions.  Either way, it’s often  a long, long time afterwards that we’re  able to catch our breath and even consider drying our tears, and healing.

But we can trust  that God is waiting  for us to notice Him.  When we turn toward Him and accept His grace, that light will dry our tears, and we can begin to heal.

We often notice grace when we least expect to notice it.  It is always there though, because God is always with us.  But our worries,  busyness, distractions,  addictions, sins, and downright refusal to acknowledge God’s mercy; all get in the way–and may even be at the root of our heartbreaks.

But God can bring good out of the ‘not so good.’  It’s possible for heartbreak and tragedy to bring our best self.

For each person on earth, God will show mercy. We only have to ask for it.  And if we chose  God’s grace, we can come closer and closer to Him, knowing Him better and better, until we’re finally able to say: I am in love with a God who is madly in love with me. So, I am able to trust Him, follow Him, and then surrender my life to Him.

This certainly does not mean  we will have become saints. We will still be flawed human beings,  sometimes  ground in the same old sins. But if we continue to ask, we will  be personally shown what we need to do better.

Psalms 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.