This picture was on the front of the worship bulletin at GCPC on Sunday August 25, with the following quotation by Richard Rohr: “The people who know God well – the mystics, the hermits, those who risk everything to find God – always meet a lover, not a dictator. God is never found to be an abusive father or a tyrannical mother, but always a lover who is more than we dared hope for. How different than the ‘account manager’ that most people seem to worship.”

The service fit together well for me especially the picture and the quotation. The picture reminded me how hard life can be for some folks. Sometimes life doesn’t turn out the way we expect as probably the woman with the child knew all too well.

In his sermon Mark spoke about how Jeremiah groaned about his life just as we groan about ours. It seems so many difficult things happen to us and it’s hard not to groan about them. I know I grown a lot about my brain injury. You would think by now I would be finished groaning. After all, I know my limitations and can deal with them. My groaning is better now I believe this is okay as long as I don’t groan too often around friends because it can be tiresome.

I do groan a lot in my prayers though. I know God can take it and as time goes on, I get clarity about my journey. I’m glad Mark made the following comment in his sermon. “You’ve probably figured out by now that there is no snappy ending to this sermon nor to Jeremiah.” Sometimes life is hard and that’s okay. Sometimes we need to groan a little in order to move on.

I loved the choir anthem which was based on an African American Spiritual called “Give Me Jesus.” The melody touched something deep inside of me. The words are “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. You can have all this world, give me Jesus. And when I feel afraid, give me Jesus. And when the trumpet sounds, give me Jesus.” It loses something without hearing the music for some of it sounded a little like a grown.

In the challenges of my life and when I’m groaning, I need Jesus.