I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
Look at the news around you. Better yet- don’t. The world is filled with suffering and bad news. The people of Gaza are suffering terribly from the actions of Hamas terrorists and the Israeli response attacks. The people of Ukraine are daily suffering from the exploits of Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression and terror. Untold thousand around the globe suffer from war, disease and poverty. If we keep our eyes on these atrocities, we get jaded and depressed. Perhaps outraged as well.
It all depends on where we look for relief. The Psalmist said that we must look up to the mountains, where we see God’s hand promised. Looking up is hard when we are distracted by looking around.
No, we cannot, and should not, ignore the suffering of those around us. Indeed, we are called to help in any way that we can. We donate to relief agencies in hope that some of the suffering we see around us may be somewhat ameliorated. It is a small gesture, but taken collectively, it helps.
In the meantime, we must look up to where true relief is found.
Prayer: Lord, help those who are suffering in a world where hunger and pain abounds, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 