December 18

Titus 3:3-7

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

It's been difficult to think of anything but the shooting that took place in Newtown on Friday. I see pictures of the children and the teachers who were killed and I feel despair and heaviness. I listen to people debate gun control and school security and I feel defeated and frustrated. On my way to work on Monday morning, I watched a woman put her child on a school bus and I cried, thinking about how difficult it must have been for her, to let her child go to school without a guarantee of safety. There is evil in the world and no one was able to deny that on Friday. 

It can be easy to give into the despair and think that there is no hope for our community, our country, our world. But thankfully we do have hope. When I was reading Titus 3:3-7, I felt some of the heaviness and sorrow lift from my heart and mind. We are all foolish people who are trapped in our own sin. But Jesus generously gave up everything and showed us mercy so that we can be reborn and washed clean. So that we can have hope. So that in the midst of people dying and hearts breaking and questions going unanswered, we can hope in our Savior and in the eternal life we have in Him!