Changes

Life is weird. Here I am...a middle aged man. My life didn't turn out quite the way I had hoped it would.
But that doesn't really matter. I have a wife that I love and who loves me. I have a family that I love. I like my job and the people that I work with.
I have friends that I love and that I regret not keeping in touch with.
Most important, I have Jesus. With Him, no matter how turbulent life becomes, no matter who hurts me or who I hurt...He is there. The One that I know I can trust in all things. The only unshakable constant, a firm foundation.
Many of the people who lived the lives that we read about in the bible referred to Him as their fortress or their hiding place.
I've never been through what a lot of people in the world have. I've never been beaten for my faith or imprisoned for it. I've never even been threatened for it. I don't have to be in fear of my life to be afraid, or running from intense persecution to feel alone and small. Life happens.
My point is that I have experienced the peace that Jesus offers. The hope that He holds out. Pain and sorrow are a part of life. But Jesus gives me a place to run to. Somewhere to let the tears fall in peace.