The earth is full of beauty. Thousands of people simultaneously gasp while a scarlet ball of fire sinks below the horizon, casting  purple, orange, and pink across the sky – while one little girl catches a glimpse of  the bluest of blue, astonished at the discovery of six eggs cradled in a neatly built nest of mud and grass.

The earth has the ability to take our breath away.

But the earth is also full of misery – whether thousands watch as wildfires destroy a lifetime of memories or one watches at the bedside as cancer slowly takes their dying loved one.

The heavens echo with anger and pain being sent from earth to God – why? Why?

And the heavens return silence. But does it?

This morning, I watched the smiling, grateful faces responding to the relief of rain that fell upon a portion of the ashen western states.

Relief.

We don’t understand everything in life. How is it that the cold nights and dewy mornings are sufficient for life in the desert? How is it that two parts from two bodies meet and form human life? Every day we accept what we do not fully understand. Yet, when tragedy strikes we shake our fist at God. Can you imagine how many fists are raised to the heavens every day?

And like a loving, earthly father feels compassion for his crying child, God feels compassion for us. The child may not understand, may not receive what he wants – yet the father wipes away the tears and comforts.

Relief.

What are you going through? After you shake your fist or cry, will you see and be thankful for the relief that God brings in the midst of your sadness and loss?