I will heal their disloyalty; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, he shall strike root like the forests of Lebanon. His shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive tree, and his fragrance like that of Lebanon. They shall again live beneath my shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon. (Hosea 14: 4-7)

Today hundreds - even thousands - will suffer a painful death they do not deserve. A few hundred child soldiers and prostitutes equally as young will be recruited. Many thousands will be displaced from their homes. Rape, murder, oppression... all the evil that man can visit on man will continue to burn and scorch.

I do not expect these evils to touch me... at least not today. I do not intend to contribute to these evils... at least not directly. I expect to have a nice breakfast, to meet interesting and pleasant people, and to engage in creative and satisfying work. With a glass of wine as company I will watch the sun set over the Pacific and go peaceably to sleep.

It is easy for me to read of beauty, blossoming, and fragrance and be left assured. But I do not deserve this life any more than the eleven year old Cambodian girl deserves her sex customers or the Sudanese mother deserves to bury her baby. God is not rewarding me or punishing them. God is not the cause of our varied conditions. Hosea might not agree with this conclusion.

But perhaps Hosea and I could agree that whatever the cause, God can very much be in the effect. What meaning should I derive from the reality I encounter today? Help me to find your meaning dear God. What action should I take - or avoid - to fulfill that meaning? Help me to know your intention dear God.

Whatever today's reality, how can I contribute to the beauty, blossoming, and fragrance of God's garden? Whether today brings tragedy or victory and more probably both, how can I participate with God in advancing the ultimate reality of a love that both embraces and transcends our conditions.