Every morning, I stand guard in front of the high school and observe what is happening. For a hectic thirty minutes, parents, students and visitors all converge on one entry point into the school while navigating the dangers of one of the most busy streets in Escondido. I see the faces of hundreds of those who are young and old, of every race and almost every creed and get an intimate glimpse into their personal lives for the slightest of moments. I see suffering and sadness, happiness and joy, laughter, lethargy and disgust. Sometimes, I see occupants crying.

Often, I see parents and their children fighting intensely with one another only to pull up to the curb, open the door and go about their day as if everything is all right. The mask goes up and the defenses are fortified. The fake smile waxes brilliant or the stoic face buries the pain. Yet, the eyes are the gateway to the soul and at these times I consider my brief glimpse and wonder at the pain. To know the fullness of its depth would be too great for me to bear.

The pain I feel when I see the outward appearance of a person is nothing compared to the pain God knows when He looks at the heart. The pain I see is for but a moment, but the pain God sees is intimate and perfect in understanding and depth. He did not shy away from it or wring His hands in despair when He encountered it. From His throne in the heavens, He looked upon His lost sheep scattered to the four corners of the earth and it did not please Him that they would be lost and suffer forever. Thus, He gave us His Son to come to the earth and experience our agony and the shame of our sin in order that He might defeat it and bury our sadness in the overwhelming joy of eternal life that He alone can lead us into.

There is hope at the end of the tunnel. We see it as a dim light and know that we will soon emerge into the brightness of joy perfected at the other end. For but a little while longer, we must endure this present suffering in order to share the peace and joy that the Lord has promised to those who will call Him Father. The light is always the most pronounced in the greatest darkness and that light is the light of the Lord. In His light there is hope for He is the King of the Universe! He is the God of this city! He is the King of this people! He's the Lord of this nation! He's the peace to the restless! He's the hope to the hopeless! He's the Light in the darkness!

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." ~1 John 5:3-5