Our Hope In The Dark

I hate it when my daughters are in danger. Dark and dreadful thoughts and passions suddenly come to my surface. My jaw and fists clench tightly and my eyes narrow, testifying that calamity is almost unleashed. I feel maybe like a fighter pilot engaging a terrible enemy as I prepare to fire missiles. I have a single thought; “Targeting . . . Targeting . . .”  

I suspect similar dark thoughts and passions welled-up in the parents, teachers, law officers and care-givers in Broward County, Florida, just days ago. I wish I could have been with them because I understand. I would have held them. I would have cried with them. I would have “okayed” their awful thoughts of destruction for those responsible. “I know those thoughts! I know those feelings! I know! And I’m here with you.”

And in the midst of those ugly, awful, vengeance-seeking thoughts and feelings of wrath would be the Jesus I know, and the Father of compassion, the God of all comfort. God would be obvious to us. Not in how He forcefully restrained us—“Stop it! How can you call yourselves Christians?”—but in how He moved in us, drawing out and filtering the poison, while gently loving us in our inability to protect our very own children.

He knows a lot about that. He knows all about fury that targets any and all responsible for evil done to His children (Romans 9:22-24). He knows all about suffering as an innocent (1 Peter 2:22-25). And He is with us. When and as we know that—when and as we know Him—we are clothed anew in an inner security that seems otherwise flimsy. A cruel joke. A religionist’s satire. A security that cannot prevent a beating. An unjust accusation. A broken heart. A bullet. But for us, a security that is Christ—Him!—the power of God.

While we will examine old laws broken and consider new laws to take their place, our hope is not found there. Not really. Our hope is not in what must now be done to finally prevent this “from ever happening again”, but in knowing Jesus. Not just about Jesus, but Him. The One who is with us. The One who understands us. The One who is perfect in compassion. Perfect in comfort. Perfect in love. Remember what Perfect Love does to fear? “Be gone!”

I couldn’t protect my four year old daughter from being mistreated by an IV needle-wielding nurse, nor could I protect my 19 year old daughter from being misled and mistreated by ministry leaders, who promised provision and opportunity, only to prove false at her expense. I couldn’t stop it! I couldn’t prevent it! And there were plenty of other events over the years that proved my best intentions were sometimes failures at protecting them. Even now anger heats up in me, and I think: “Targeting . . .”

Here’s what I know. The best I can give my daughters is an assist in knowing God. Him. Through the insults, injustices and injuries, He is with them. He thinks that’s the deal. And increasingly, my daughters agree. They’re captivated with Him. On their own now, and having their own “dark and dreadful thoughts and passions”, it’s not long until “Targeting” is replaced by knowing the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort. In sum, they’re glad they know God when shit (I mean crap) happens—because it does.

If you’ve got kids or the care of kids, who are worried about their safety, fearful that someone might bully them, or scared that someone might harm them, I suggest entering into conversation with them. You might ask your son if he thinks Jesus will ever leave him—for anything or any reason? You might ask your daughter if she believes that Jesus finds no fault with her, loves her perfectly, and will never ever cause her harm? That He is with her and for her at all times—no matter how the passing away world looks or treats her? And listen to their answers—don’t shape them. Be with them. They’re not your clay to mold and form, they’re His. God loves giving people their own reason to love Him back. That’s how He makes true witnesses, right? They cannot have confidence in your witness, and God loves giving them their own. Open the door for that.

You will be helping them to consider Jesus; His character, love and faithfulness. That means you will be helping them to be attracted to Jesus and to knowing Him, which means they will be living by faith in God—and that’s the way to live, that’s the way to life, especially in the ugly chaos of this world. That makes them courageous and strong in Him, without even telling them to be courageous and strong. You’ll be setting them up for all of their days.

In a crazy, ugly, mixed-up world that always wants to “get it right” but never can, He is the gift, the treasure that treasures us back, and keeps us secure in an insecure time. He is our hope in the dark.