Tearfund Lent Devotional Day 41

Miracles and tragedies

'I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33, NIV)

Dreams really do come true… except when they don’t. You can achieve anything you set your mind to… except when you can’t. Miracles happen all the time… and so do tragedies.

Some things will turn out better than expected. Some things will turn out worse. There will be joy, pleasure, wonder and delight. And there will be grief, agony, anxiety and despair. There will be moments that take your breath away, and there will be moments when it feels as though you can’t breathe.

Toxic positivity doesn’t help anyone. But neither does cynicism. To be human is to know the bitter and the beautiful; to accept that they both belong. Mourning can turn into dancing. Dancing can turn into mourning.

This doesn’t make us love life any less, but love it all the more. It is precious because at any moment it could break. So we embrace it; because of the miracles, and because of the tragedies.

God, help me to hold the tension between accepting life as it is and longing for more. Guide me through both the miracles and tragedies – help me to know your presence in both. Amen.

Gideon Heugh

Gideon writes for Tearfund and is a poet and environmentalist