“Why have you forsaken me?” Those are haunting words and I cannot imagine they were uttered in anything other than complete distress, if not despair, for in the midst of colossal suffering Jesus hung upon his cross feeling abandoned by God. At various times in our lives, we too may feel forgotten. Many of us have entered into darkness and prayed fervently for help only to hear silence in response, or beseeched heaven on our knees, hearing only the sound of our own lamentation. The cross is about what God does with suffering, and there is no life that will not carry such a cross.

Comfort zones—we all have them. Those safe and familiar places we retreat to when we feel overwhelmed or afraid. Comfort zones are necessary for rest and relaxation. They’re healing places to recuperate and regain our balance.

It would be nice if solving the problems we see around us were as simple as some would have us believe. It seems there is true bliss in ignorance, in believing that we can find solutions by ignoring complexity and failing to consider all the facts.

In today’s world of uncertainty and turmoil, it would seem we are past the age of innocence. If you read and listen to both conventional and social media, you may have noticed that this has united many people. In others it has sparked fear, and not only fear but anger, frustration, and an alarming level of intolerance.

Growing up in Niverville in the 60s and 70s, Mennonite families were the majority people group. Some of the Mennonite families were immigrants from Paraguay who had made Niverville their home. Often their children were called “Prugs” and they were harassed because of the old-fashioned hand-me-down clothes they wore to school. Many were not able to speak English, since their first language was Low German. My own family returned to Manitoba after spending almost six years in Paraguay shortly after my birth. 

Whether in health, relationships, or finances, we all desire improvement. Our natural tendency is to look back over the year gone by in order to measure our progress and shortcomings, yet sadly our perceived failures grab most of our attention. For many of us, these shortcomings get relegated to an ever-growing pile of disappointments and regrets. Then, with renewed determination, we make a new list of resolutions and vow to try even harder.