She is your neighbor. The woman with the long black hair. The one with all the children. The messy house. She borrows eggs from you to make pancakes on Sundays and her dog is always wandering over to your yard. She’s getting on a plane to go visit her mother who might pass away in the night.
She is the one you see on Facebook. She posts a lot. Her business is doing well. She seems happy. Her hair is always perfect. She’s too busy to make it to bible study, but you keep messaging her. No-one knows about her anxiety disorder.
She is the mother you read about in the newspaper holding her dead child in her arms wailing while the world discusses whose fault it is.
She is the woman who serves you at the grocery store. You notice her arms are covered in tattoos but it’s not polite to ask so you look away. If you had asked, she might have invited you to church and told you her story. She was baptized by her grandfather last week. She can‘t wait to share the gospel.
She is you. Watching the news as it spews more bad news. The virus. The fighting. Don’t swim in the water or go out into the sun. Another baby was left alone in a car and the police are under investigation for beating a man to death. YOU watch and wilt and wonder if the Jesus you learned about since you were four years old will come in your lifetime. Maybe even today?
We wait and sometimes even whisper, “come Jesus, we need you.” Because in the night, when it’s very dark, it’s hard to imagine the light.
Have faith. Hold tight to the word. There is hope. He will come.
And there IS beauty shimmering all around her...and her...and her....and her, and yes, you too. The Holy Spirit, like a lighthouse, shining from the inside out in all of us who believe.
