Variations on a Theme

April 7th 2008: The 14 year anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide
In Rwanda the entire week strictly observed with special prayers and ceremonies lasting for hours on end. Parties, applause, and most music is forbidden
April 19th: The first day of Passover
May 2nd: Yom HaShoah "Holocaust Remembrance Day"
This is somber holiday which is observed by most Jewish communities and many non Jewish communities with prayer, fasting, and special memorial services.
September 11, 2001: A day that "We will never Forget"
On these days we allow ourselves to time to remember the fallen, reflect on the pain, and thank God that He delivered us.
A few days ago I found myself walking down a familiar path in the woods. What was I doing there again? Remembering... The good, the bad, the angry, the sad, the helplessness, the deceit, the loneliness, and the bitterness. It's perfectly safe and even healthy to do this, once in a while.
The Theme: Because we are all human with a sinful nature and a free will, we perpetually find ourselves in the most dire perdicaments. We do unthinkable things to one another, sometimes the unthinkable happens to us. But God is bigger than all of this and He faithfully persues us.
A few days ago I was informaly asked if I would share my testimony in church. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. But the interesting and wonderful thing is this: We as believers might have different stories, but they are all really just variations on a theme. We were bad, God is good. God called, we answered. We were hopeless, we found hope in Him. What a victorious symphony!