He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:28 NIV)

If you have had the opportunity lately to spend time with a child that is between two and five years old, you probably found that you ended up up answering a lot of questions. Most of the questions begin with the word, “Why….”

Children are just beginning their journey through this world, and they want to understand the world. They thirst for knowledge. Maybe they, along with you and I, think that if we can just understand why things are the way they are, then they will be able to endure and overcome the situations that we face in this world.

Is that working for you? Perhaps like me, you are finding that no matter how much knowledge and experience that you have in dealing with life, there are still moments when you wish you knew a lot more and had a lot more strength to deal with the challenges that come your way.

It seemed as though life was going on with all its ups and downs, and then–starting at the end of January 2020–life got a LOT more complicated and difficult! And even though I have some medical background and I have been through a lot of challenging experiences in my life, I am surprised almost daily by some new way in which the Coronovirus is affecting my life. The other thing is that, as complicated and challenging as my life has gotten, I can, without much effort, think of many other people who are having a much more difficult time than I am.

I think that the answer to dealing with life these days is not complicated, but it is also not easy!

First, we need to remember that our knowledge will always be incomplete and that our strength will always be inadequate. That is why we turn to, and lean on, God.

Secondly, we can remember that life will always be hard but that God is on our side, and that somehow, God will see us through. So we will stay connected to God through devotions and prayer, and we continue to find ways to care about each other. We may do this in ways that we haven’t done before, but we will continue to do it. That is who we are!

Blessings,

Pastor Dennis Niezwaag