This is the day that God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Today is a “red letter day” at Juda Zion Community Church. We have our Vacation Bible School going on. Kids are here and we’re sharing some Biblical truths with them like “God is always with you” and that “God is in control”. And we’re celebrating all the energy that the kids bring to the church. It’s a wonderful day! Praise be to God!  

But what about tomorrow? Is God still always with us? Is God still in control? Do we remember to rejoice in THIS DAY? Maybe for you “this day” is bringing a lot of happiness and joy. It’s Summer after all and many of us are enjoying various aspects of that — sun, warmth, pools, vacations, green plants growing, sleeping in late. But that isn’t true for everyone.  Maybe for you, “this day” is one of loss and grief. Maybe “this day” is one of sickness and pain. Maybe “this day” is one of loneliness. 

There is an awful lot of pain and trouble in our world. “Is God really here?” “Does God make a difference?” I hear various versions of those questions a lot these days. In fact, I’ve at various times in my life asked them myself. My answer to you today is, yes! God is really here. (Hallelujah!) God DOES make a difference. And I’m so very glad that God does. God has held me up through some dark days in my own life. My brother was murdered a decade ago now down in Florida. It was a really hard time with a lot of emotions for all of my family and myself. I had to lean on God a lot because I just couldn’t handle some of these things on my own! But through it, we found some unexpected blessings… Sean’s friends stepping into our lives and showing their love, stronger family bonds, being able to let go of long-held anger.  

What does it look like in our lives when we really believe that God is always with us and that God is in control? It makes us able to reach beyond just ourselves. We are finite being with finite energy and definitely finite limits. Knowing that we have God with us allows us to transcend some of those. We find energy where there was none. We find new ways to love. We find new people to love.  

Does that make any of us perfect at what we do? Absolutely not! We’re still all human. We still all make mistakes. But hopefully we’re able to risk more and do more and reach more because we have God with us. And folks, that’s how this world becomes a better place.

How can you show your love today? Reach out to someone new or reach out in a new way. Challenge yourself and trust that God will walk with you into that new thing.

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Kelly Jahn is pastor of the Juda Zion Community Church.