In December, our evangelistic site questions2vie.com started breaking records, jumping from a steady 70 thousand visitors per month to 150k, then 160k then 170k. The analytics report arrived for April, and we had 252,000 visitors! That's almost six times more than this time last year. There are seven new articles that have been added to the site, including one about dealing with anxiety because of the coronavirus. An email question I have been seeing a lot more often is - where is God in this pandemic? Why isn't he doing more? Are any of your friends asking this question? How would you respond?
It's a fair question, and important for Christians to wrestle with. We need to identify our insecurities and doubts and shine the light of the Word on them to have a mature faith. Digging into these questions leads us to an even deeper view of God, who he is, what he wants for us, and what we expect of him. Is the God in our mind and heart big enough and caring enough to transform our suffering into redemptive glory? Sometimes the best we can bring isn't an answer, but perspective. The narrative in the Bible is that death brings new life, redemption and restoration. Jesus offers us resurrection. The darker the shadow we pass through the more dazzling the light is when we see it. Trust that we and our world will one day be even greater for having once been broken. What can we offer our friends in this fearful time? Hope!
Efrem serenading with his flute at the foot of the Sacred Heart church during sunrise on Easter morning.
View of the sky from our apartment courtyard.
Please pray
- for the possibility to be refreshed outside of the concrete of the city even though all travel and family visits have been canceled in 2020.
- that we maintain focus, including the boys as they work to finish their school years.
- for perspective and hope as this crisis continues.
What have you missed the most during this time of isolation? Hanging out with friends? Hugs? A nice meal out? There's nothing like a global health crisis for boiling down what really is important to us! It has been particularly hard on May, and we saw a perfect illustration of her feelings while taking a walk together. The very few parks in Paris are all closed off to keep people from congregating there. One night as we trotted around Parc Monceau we saw a woman wearing a face mask standing at the park's metal fence, pushing her face as far as she could through the bars toward the flowers about thirty feet away. This is exactly what May's soul is screaming - nature please! Paris is an imposing stone and concrete presence even when the parks are open. She would regularly take walks through the nearest parks to take in the green. Now she feels deprived of air. We certainly miss our friends and family, but that is something we already felt due to years serving overseas. We need each other, and we need God's wonderful creation. Thankfully no virus, no lock down, absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
