Night Crawlers

I’ve had some late nights recently. That happens during seasons of my life when I have a lot on my mind. Why the brain doesn’t choose to work in the daytime, I have no clue. Perhaps there is just too much noise and only in the silence of the night can my mind get my attention. The silence grabs my face in its hands and forces me to look.
Part of it is the incessant “to-do” list – a barrage of reminders of tasks that have to get done in the fleeting days I have remaining until the summer hits and I’m gone nearly as much as I am home. I keep getting surprised by something that pops up that I had forgotten. This leaves me a little unsettled regarding what else I may be forgetting that just hasn’t “popped up”.
I’m also torn between the irrelevance of some (many) of the tasks in light of the realities for so many around the world. Extreme famine and drought in parts of Eastern Africa. Continued abduction and slaughter of children in Uganda, Sudan, and the Congo. Innocent civilians who suffer from the power struggles of leaders. Young girls – some as young as 6 or 7 – who are sold for sexual acts with men who get off on evil that is unspeakable.
There is so much that breaks the heart of God. We are taught to keep it at a distance, to bury it, to hide the ugliness.
Because when you see it for yourself, feel it for yourself, taste it for yourself … you can never forget.
Or can you.
Speaking from experience, I confess you can.