Return..

Isaiah 35:10

 ¹⁰ and the ransomed of the LORD will return. 
       They will enter Zion with singing; 
       everlasting joy will crown their heads. 
       Gladness and joy will overtake them, 
       and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

An interesting day, today...I got to see and play with my grandniece and grandnephew who now live in Iowa.  Joy!

And today brought an earthquake, death and tragedy to Chile.  Sorrow.

A Tsunami hit Hawaii, but did not sustain the damage expected.  Sighing flees away.

The promise from these words of Isaiah help during times like this that are filled with a mixture of emotions.  What will I experience today as a human, as a child of God?  What will I sing about?  What will I sigh about?

Today is such a temporary moment.  At times, it doesn't feel like it.  And those few days off from routine part much too quickly, before duty and even drudgery, in some cases, take over once again.

What are the good words for those who are now grieving, or sifting thru the wreckage that nature has brought?  What are the good words for those who know grief and sorrow?  The promise of joy.  This moment, however painful, is temporary.  But the time will come when all will enter Zion singing.  Gladness will overtake them, and grief will slip away.

Today I am thankful for both joy and sorrow, and for the promise of a time of singing.