“8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;” II Cor 4: 8 & 9
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My heart has been heavy lately. International crises. Domestic divisions. Local injustices. Familial disputes and insensitivity. It all seems like too much, and without any reprieve in sight. But then I read this verse and am reminded of the beauty and redemption in the seemingly small things: possessing the capability to help, to be present for and with another; lunches on a bench in the sun with great company; breathing.
While my outlook doesn’t magically change (imagine me snapping my fingers like *that*), it is deeply comforting to know of the God of all coming alongside, the God who walks with me (with us) through the valley of the shadow of death in the form of smiles, laughter, and silence.
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God, I want to trust you. I ask for your eyes to see beyond the here and your ears to hear beyond the now. So be it.
Mariko Tinaya
Northminster Presbyterian Church 