Wondering Where To Go

This has been an unusually difficult week. The normal routine has been turned upside down and the occasions for dealing with mundane issues have been replaced with the surreal. Homicides and drug addiction have taken center stage. There wasn’t any class for this in seminary! The feelings of inadequacy can be overwhelming when others are depending on you to help them get through. I have tried to rely upon one of the basic principles of ministry – presence is far more important than words. I have been searching high and low for the right words to provide comfort in the midst of overwhelming grief and pain. I haven’t found them. I have been looking for examples of hope in the midst of tragedy. It hasn’t been discovered at this point. All of the standard clichés come to mind, but they sound shallow when life has been ripped apart and when people have their world shattered by those things that you read about but never expect them to happen within your family – to your friends. I guess there is really only one place for me to go and it doesn’t involve travel. It is that journey to my knees. It is that journey to visit the one that truly understands the pain of having your child experience the worst life has to offer. It is a journey to the top of the mountain without ever having to leave the comfort of my home. It is the journey that takes no time and yet lasts an eternity. I think I know where I need to go!