March 12th (3.05.15), Thursday, Second Week of Lent

Jeremiah 17: 5-10, Psalm 1: 1-2, 3, 4 and 6, Luke 16: 19-31

At the time of this writing, I find myself in the ranks of the unemployed, worrying about the well-being of my family as our nation seems inevitably headed toward depression. With bills continuing to come in, I worry about my wife and four children and I struggle with the growing despair of how I have failed to provide for them. As my despair grows, so too does my anger - anger against the company that let me go but also anger against God for allowing this to happen to me and to my family. Where is our God and how could he have left us like this?

A few days ago, as I sat alone in the kitchen, saddened at the thought of how different this coming Christmas would be, my wife came and sat beside me. I was surprised at how peaceful she looked in the midst of our situation. She said, “There are so many good things that can come out of this.” And then she handed me an article written by Ronald Rolheiser. He wrote of when the Israelites had been taken into exile in Babylon. How can there be a God when everything they knew was taken from them? Where was God in the midst of this great upheaval? And then he wrote God’s answer: “You will find me again when you search for me in a deeper way, with all your heart, mind and soul.”

Now more than ever, the words of the prophet Jeremiah are a lifeline to me: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.” As much as I hate being in my current situation, I know that God is extending an invitation to find Him in the midst of our upheaval. God still loves us and He is still taking care of us. God may lead us to places we don’t want to go, but He never leaves us alone, not even for a moment. As always, He remains our hope.

Terry Harmon, happily married father of four