In the last week alone I have heard of no less than a dozen extremely heartbreaking stories. I’ve heard them from friends, which hits the hardest. I’ve heard them from co-workers. I’ve read them in news articles. It all feels so heavy. The very hard and heartbreaking things of this world seem to be everywhere, all the time. 

It’s easy to wonder why. Why can people be shot in the street in broad daylight by immigration officers? Why can someone be refused medical assisted suicide in one province and then successfully seek it out in the next? Why do such young people die on peacekeeping missions? Why is there war at all? It all seems meaningless…

Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. (Ecc. 1:12)

I’ve never understood that verse more than I do now. The Hebrew word hebel which means  meaninglessness/vanity/breath/mist (because there’s always more than one meaning) is used over 30 times in the short book of Ecclesiastes. The message of the entire book is that everything under the sun apart from God is meaningless, and that the best life is found in fearing God, keeping His commandments and finding joy in the small things which are all gifts from the Lord.

I think that’s the answer to our why questions. Our world has forgotten God. Totally and completely.

Harvard University’s original motto when it first opened its doors was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae which translates to “Truth for Christ and the Church.” The foundation of a school that has been educating some of the brightest minds in our world for the last 400 years was deeply rooted in Christ. In the 19th century, it was shortened to just Veritas. Truth. But what is truth without The One Truth?

I think it’s a good picture of how our world sees God. Antiquated. Unimportant. Completely useless.

Since 1990, those who identify themselves as Christians have decreased significantly. At that point 90% of adults in North America would have identified themselves as Christian. By 2024 only 62% would make that claim. The largest decline is among the younger generations with only 36% of Gen Z following Christ. If the youth are the future, the future is bleak. In the absence of heavenly wisdom is a world full of heartbreak.

If the world we live in is so full of hurt, so full of disaster, so full of hard things, how do we cope? How do we get out of bed in the morning to face another day when we already know what we will face will be full of dread?

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

This one little verse packs the punch that we all need. There is so much for us here. God’s strength and provision are enough to sustain us through anything that we face even when everything feels bleak and meaningless. Even when we feel like there’s no way out of the darkness. God’s sufficient grace pours out an unending supply that meets every need. It turns all things into opportunities for Christ’s power to shine.

God’s sufficient grace is peace when everything is chaos.

God’s sufficient grace is contentment in all circumstances, even the hard ones.

God’s sufficient grace is strength to manage all illnesses and physical pain.

God’s sufficient grace is the ability to respond with kindness amidst intense pressure in the workplace.

God’s sufficient grace is trusting in God’s provision for those in financial need.

God’s sufficient grace is patience and wisdom that you don’t have and you don’t feel in the midst of parenting through difficult situations.

God’s sufficient grace is forgiveness when we fail, when we sin, when we falter.

God’s sufficient grace is enough to cover all of these things and more. When we recognize the outpouring of His grace in our lives, it should cause us to respond. Because of this sufficient grace, we are able to be the hands and feet of Christ. We won’t be able to change the world, but that’s not our job – it’s God’s. Still, the outpouring of His grace allows us to be light in the darkness, and light is so powerful. A tiny flame can illuminate an entire room.

Rest in God’s sufficient grace today. Then go, and be light.