When All You Can Say Is “Jesus”

Last week something truly horrendous happened that ended the life of a friend of mine. I was literally sitting in the middle of the “happiest place on earth” (that’s Disney World, folks), when I received news of this tragedy. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. My kids ran around in a sugar high around me, completely oblivious to the fact that I had just been totally devastated. I tried to plaster a smile on my face to keep them out of my personal struggle. My husband, of course, saw right through it, and simply grabbed my hand and told me that he understood the feeling of being distraught but still needing to somehow smile for your family.

I will not go into the details of the event on this blog. The specifics are made up of nightmare-inducing facts that are jaunting to read even in the disconnected words of a news story format. I will just say that a tragedy happened and so many lives are left broken into millions of pieces as a result.

The night I heard of this, I tossed and turned, but sleep alluded me. I kept thinking of my friend, of how her life ended so suddenly and unexpectedly, and of how incredibly fragile life is. At one point when I realized I had no reason or human comfort to make this situation right, I just started saying “Jesus” over and over and over again. I woke up the next morning with this strong impression on my soul that nothing that God can ever “do” for us compares to just Him being Him and being present in our lives.

It’s His attributes that can sustain us in these times of life, not the supposed “things” that He’s blessed us with. Nothing He has given us is more invaluable than Him Himself and His grace, love, and mercy. Those are the things we really need. Those are the things that hold us up when our “stuff” has left us feeling hopeless and cold after hearing devastating news. There is nothing else, just Jesus. And He is enough. He is wonderful that way.