A Spring of Joy

Our children pray every day for Haiti–numerous times a day. They are giving money from their Christmas and birthday stash to help with the relief effort. They ask me all the time how the recovery is going, how long it will take, who is taking care of the children without their mommies and daddies, etc. They have a heart of compassion for hurting and needy people.

I read this morning about the Chilean earthquake and the catastrophe there, and I prayed for them. I ached for the suffering and listened to creation’s groaning for it all to be “made right”.

Then I scrolled down gazing at other headlines and I wanted to punch my computer screen. I got so angry… because these were some of the headlines:

Stars Strip for a Cause

Gatorade Drops Tiger

It’s not the first time I’ve gotten angry at the headlines. They slam me every day, whether it’s in the grocery store line or online, it’s in my face constantly.

People’s 100 Most Beautiful People

Hot or Not: Can A Woman Still Be Hot Even When She’s Bald?

It’s all so empty and so irrelevant. So meaningless. Frankly, who cares? Who cares about what star is hot or not? What does it matter? What benefit is it to me or you or our society?

But then I stopped and listened again, and I realized that even in these headlines I was hearing creations groans. The groaning of idolatry. The groaning of empty promises. The groaning that success, beauty, fame and money will bring happiness.

It’s a groaning that places joy in what the world has to offer. And that’s an offering world will never be able to fulfill, because this world will always be searching for more, better, happiness in empty things.

So I pray. I pray for Haiti and for Chile and for protection for Hawaii and California. But I also pray for my country as a whole. I pray for a turning back to God the One Who, as Tim Keller writes in his book, Counterfeit Gods, “is the only Lord… who can truly fulfill you, and if you fail Him, can forgive you.”

And I pray for my heart… that instead of wanting to punch out computer screens or burn magazine covers, I’ll stop, repent, listen to Creation’s groans and pray.

Because nothing is too big for God.