December #jammed: Grace, gifted.

Day 344: Grace in tragedy.

“No man knows when his hour will come.” Ecclesiastes 9:12a

“OK,” I took a deep breath as I sat down at the dinner table with my two girls, “I need to fill you in on what happened today.”

They looked at me wide-eyed and worried, and listened as I told them what had happened in Las Vegas that day. They didn’t understand completely, and I searched to explain just enough of something that I don’t completely understand, myself.

“I would play you a video, but I don’t want it to scare you,” I explained. Now that everyone has a cell-phone, there’s way too much footage available. Our human hearts can’t fully digest the full scope of tragedy without serious scars. I found one video that showed the singer on stage, and then gunshots and screams could be heard. I let them catch a glimpse of the singer, but pulled the screen away quickly after the gunshots started.

They saw my eyes tear up. I felt the lump in my throat.

Why?

Christmas.

God is not surprised at what’s going on. The intensity of everything around us is escalating. People are losing sight of God, and the earth is groaning …waiting …for Christ to return.

Christmas wasn’t a surprise. Jesus’ birth was prophesied for thousands of years in thousands of ways by many people before He lay in a manger under the blanket of angels. It was timed purposely, by the Author of time, Himself.

I don’t know what to say to my girls about Las Vegas. All I can do is repeat what I know to myself and to them. There’s no way to fully understand or explain that kind of madness. It’s pure evil stomping his feet because he’s already lost. And he’s only got so much time left to reek havoc.

Christmas. He came exactly when He was supposed to come.

He’ll come back when it’s time. But days like Vegas …like September 11th …make my heart yearn for Him to come back now.

Father, Praise You for the promise of Jesus’ return. You keep every promise and we are so thankful and hopeful because of who You are. Forgive us for trying to explain away the world’s groaning with any kind of reason, whatsoever, and bless us to be strong ambassadors of faith in these last days on earth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Megs

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