Lately, life has been a blur. There’s the chaos of the world: intense political division, racial injustice, a worldwide pandemic, etc. Fighting for unity within community is harder than ever these days. But then there’s the chaos of my own world: working hard at my job, being patient with my kids when I’m tired and frustrated, finding the energy to pursue my wife, creating space to process my complex emotions, and preparing for a new baby on the way.

With the backdrop of all the turmoil in our world, my own private turmoil is amplified. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But in those moments, I'm learning that Jesus is closer than ever. 

God's teaching me that my life is not something that’s meant to be protected against suffering and difficulty. The very things I strive to avoid are often the very things God is using to make me more like Him. So I'm learning to view my life through a new lens-- as clay being shaped by the Potter's hands. So if good things come, they are meant for my good and His glory. And if hard things come, I can trust Him enough to know they are also meant for my good and His glory. Yes, it's much easier said than done. But He is producing steadfastness in me, and that steadfastness must 'have its full effect so that I may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing' (James 1:3-4). 

So today, instead of feeling overwhelmed by my struggles, I'm going to choose to be overwhelmed by my Savior's faithfulness. When everything else spins around me in chaos, He remains my steady, ever-present Hope. Thanks be to God." - Jasper F.