By Pam McElhaney

As I was sitting before the Lord this morning in my quiet time I caught myself pondering a very difficult season in my life. Where were you God? I know you make all things work together for my good but I just needed to know where you were.

I sat for a moment and went back to that season in my life where I felt abandoned, afraid, lonely, and isolated. There was cruelty and misunderstanding.  There was betrayal of the worst kind.  Betrayal by the people I trusted.  The feelings were still there just as raw. Tears came to my eyes.  I never sensed your presence.  I never saw your shadow or a glimmer of you in the pain.  Where were you God?

Then a thought…maybe I made it up.  I sensed it was your still small voice speaking,

“Did you ask me to open your eyes?  Did you want to see the broken the way I see them?  I tried to show you but you were too busy.  You rushed quickly past the hurting people I placed in your path. You passed right by the wounded. the abandoned, the lonely.  You had a smug answer for their plight.  You assumed their irresponsibility caused their pain.  Funny thing that your pain was caused from the sin of someone else.  You never believed that people could be that cruel. You never knew anyone could be that afraid or that isolated or that innocent people could be wounded beyond imagination.  How could someone you loved for so long abandon you so completely and hurt you so intensely?”

Awe!  I think I am beginning to to see!  Lord forgive my calloused heart. Sometimes we are broken as a result of someone else’s brokenness.  Let my heart’s cry be, “Send me the broken and wounded and I will minister healing.  I will be the change I want to see in the world.”