Last night I went to the View with a chai tea, sat down on the bench, admired Cincinnati glistening beneath my feet, and spent time in reverant prayer before GOD. Life is so confusing right now, for me and for most of my friends. While there are those whose lives are going really well - Rob and Jessica, Brian and Megan, and Caleb, and Nate, to name a few--there are many of us whose lives are marked by confusion. Two of my good friends--Cassie and Monica--are cousins, and their uncle is on the verge of death. Both are suffering a lot right now. Monica is going through an academic emergency; hopefully things will work out. Tim is looking for something worth living for, and he is dealing with major depression. Joe is questioning his faith. So many people here are lonely. My prayer is that GOD will use me to bring comfort, peace, and perhaps even joy into those who are suffering. My prayer is that GOD will comfort them in their suffering, come to them in their suffering, make His presence known in their suffering. My prayer is that GOD will enable them to see the world through a perspective that transcends the "earthly" dimension.

Suffering blows. It really does. Yet we cannot escape it, not in this lifetime. Anyone who thinks suffering can be avoided, anyone who thinks life can be a bed of roses, is sadly mistaken. One of the greatest lies in the preaching of modern consumerist Christianity is that being a Christian and following GOD means that one's life will become a walk through a prairie, that life will start making sense and that suffering will be nothing hard to handle. The truth is, everyone is subject to the pains and disappointments of life, subject to the agonies of life in this planet. For now we see through a glass darkly, weeping and shuddering in pain, doubting and wondering, struggling along, limping at times. May the peace of Yahweh descend on all those who suffer; He remembers them, He hears their prayers, and He whispers: "Consummation. It's coming."

Consummation: a new heavens and a new earth, where we will be reunited with loved ones who passed, where we will no longer know the pains of life, where we will know longer no grief and suffering, but will live our lives with peace, joy, and laughter. A time is coming when we will all live wonderful lives in a newly created universe, a time when we will not experience loneliness or depression or heartache. The pain that greets us now is the whispers of our heart: "You are not meant to live like this." But live like this we do, for we have fallen; yet the Messiah, Yahweh enfleshed, has redeemed us and promised us a wonderful, beautiful, and majestic future. We suffer now; let's join our hands in the suffering, be there for those in the suffering, and never lose our perspective: a new day is coming. And, as is the truth, it may come at any time!

I used to pray that the Messiah would not come during my lifetime, because I did not want to go to a place of eternal clouds and harps before I could experience the pleasures of this life. Now, understanding what lies at consummation, even catching a glimpse of its beautiful mysterious, my heart aches and cries out: "Come, Yahweh, come!" When suffering comes, and it always will, I remember what lies ahead, and I put my hope and trust in the promise of Yahweh:

"Pay close attention now: I'm creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy..." - Isaiah 65:17 (the Message)