These are the days that make people ask, “what’s wrong with the world?” People all around us are seeking hope, healing and meaning. God is setting out divine appointments for each of us. We may not know all the answers or have everything figured out. All we need to do is be faithful. This is a favorite passage from Speak the Truth, and one that seems particularly needed today:
I heard him murmur, “what’s wrong with the world?” I could have ignored the comment and I could have ignored him. I had my own table, my own coffee, my own work. I could have, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over to see what provoked him to ask one of the ultimate questions. He was reading something on his iPad. I couldn’t see it. I looked at him intently, with interest and compassion, and asked, “what now?”
He looked up and with only a moment’s hesitation shared the latest horror story passing as news across his social media feed. It was not the kind of news anyone ever wants to hear and yet it is the kind of news we hear every day. After giving me the gist of the latest version of man’s inhumanity to man, he asked again with a sense of grief and anger and total defeat, “what’s wrong with the world?” Then he added, “what’s wrong with us?”
Wide open door. I uttered a brief silent prayer and, without moving any closer physically, I engaged in one of the deepest conversations I’ve ever had with another person.