My typical ride home is silence. It’s my chance to regroup, plan and meditate on my day. Today I turned on the radio. As soon as I did an overwhelming sense of pull directed me to the song playing on the radio. Now I’ve heard this song before and I almost shut it off. God tugged on my spirit and said sit back and really take in the words. The lyrics say: “Broken halos that used to shine, broken wings that used to fly, broken hearts asking Jesus why”. As I listened it brought me an image of a person in deep pain crying from a profound loss or hurt. I picture them in a state of emptiness. As I contemplated the enormity of these words, my heart cried out for this person. A person whose pain was so debilitating that they could not recover. A person whose pain has dimmed their light and they see only darkness. A hurt that surrounded and filled them with utter desperation. They are groaning, lamenting and at the brink of emptiness. I connected to their hurt, their pain, and pure desolation. They see no end and no promise land. They are in the midst of the storm and can see no way out.

Many of us have had these periods and seasons in our life in different degrees. Times, when we can’t see past the emotional turmoil, we are experiencing. Sometimes the burden of loss, the devastation of divorce, the betrayal of broken relationships puts us in a place where we feel alone. It’s a feeling of dry,  craving for refreshment but getting absolute parchment. Many times we get stuck there.  Not for a day or week but many times for months and years. We are disillusioned. Angry at our self. Angry with people. Angry at church. Angry at God. We feel hurt, betrayed, and even justified in our bitterness. Life is hard, overwhelming and can I be blunt sometimes just plain sucks. Bad things happen to good people and we can’t wrap our brain around why. It’s filled with disappointment, frustration, and unimaginable pain. We try to figure out the why and in that journey, we are filled with even more doubt and confusion. It can take you from your greatest high to your deepest low in the blink of an eye. It can leave you unsure, confused and rebellious. It can have you walking in a path with no purpose, no direction, and no joy. You drown yourself is the busyness and distraction of the world to cover and contain the absolute nothingness you feel inside. That is not life. That is not a purpose. That is never the way God intended us to live.

In Philippians 4:7 it says “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”The word transcend means to go beyond the range or limits to surpass.  To be greater in scope or size than some standard. To be superior or better than some standard. Wow, think about the magnitude of that.  In our own human intellect, we put Jesus in a box. We create a scale of what he can do. We submit to a notion of what the world says is acceptable. We narrow the standard. We create the range. We put on the limitation. The scope of God’s power is beyond our intelligible comprehension. Let us be bold and go beyond our temporal ideas. Abide in his peace and let it transcend through our lives. Allow his love to carry the burden of our pain. Through him, there is hope, joy, and restoration found in those who intentionally seek him. He can renew our spirits and bring us unfathomable peace. We just have to trust. Do we always understand? No. Does it always make sense? Not even close. Will people understand your choice? Absolutely not, but you just have to trust. Out of pain comes victory. Out of sorrow comes unimaginable joy. Out of obedience comes love. Out of surrender comes peace.