When we face crises, or experience pain or suffering, often the first question we ask is “Where is God in all this?”. Sometimes there’s a sense in which, when God is present, suffering and pain should not be. However, Easter is a clear reminder that God is not distant or disconnected from pain and suffering – but instead, joins us in it. Where is He? He’s right HERE. He WALKS with us in it. Jesus, God incarnate, reveals that God experiences the full spectrum of the human experience. And He invites us to discover Him afresh…right in the middle of the feelings and circumstances we’re in. When we choose not to ignore the moments of brokenness, but seek Him in the midst of them, , we discover that He is not only welcoming of our humanity, but in fact, present in it with us. For a faith that does not do away with moments of despair and uncertainty, but gives space for them to exist, and offers value, meaning – and dare I say it – a sense of hope somewhere within it, well, that’s a faith rooted in the reality of life. And it’s a faith I’ll willingly embrace and anchor myself to. Also, if Jesus walked the earth today, I’m convinced He’d rock chucks.
