One more ugly news story, this time from Barcelona. One more crazy person committing premeditated violence against innocent citizens and tourists. One more body count of the dead and wounded. One more day in a broken world imploding and exploding seemingly without restraint.

I am awaiting news from my cousin Brigitta and her husband Juan, a generational catalan, and barcelones. It is 3:00 A.M in Spain so I will have to wait hours before I call again. They were supposedly moving to Germany but I don’t know for sure or when. All of Juan’s family, including his parents, still live in Barcelona and they must be in terrible anguish as another disaster unfolds. I ask the Lord to be with them.

Instead of driving myself crazy with worry and “what if’s”, instead of delving into all the gory sensationalism and inevitable news of political misdirection and instead of allowing evil to steal God’s goodness, today I choose to write something positive while I wait to hear from my cousin.

Recently on a walk, I saw three words written in chalk on my neighbor’s driveway: Live, Love, Laugh. The words were scrawled in pink, yellow and blue sidewalk chalk by a child’s hand so obviously someone was visiting Grammie and Grampa and given free reign to draw on the road. I passed by several times in the last week, stopping each time to reread the message. In this day and age of skepticism, disillusionment and general grumpiness, it was so straight forward and life giving. For what can speak more directly from the heart of God toward us than these three words. God gave life to mankind by His very breath. He is Love, and loves us so fiercely that He sent Jesus for our redemption, our eternal life and joy.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.…John 3:16

…and no one can ever separate us from God ‘s life and love in Christ. He dances over us and delights in us. Who but Jesus offers us the love of God Himself, the hope of eternal life – and joy which turns mourning into laughter and delight.

The world has hijacked words like love and life and laughter and reduces God’s eternal truths into T-shirt slogans or worse, cultural lies and corruptions. Purpose, meaning and awe in life are trivialized into such gems as “No matter where you go, there you are,” “Life is what happens.” and “Do your own thing.” God’s agape love becomes navel gazing on your inner divinity. The singular exception is that no one seems to laugh anymore for laughter unless it is offensive has become offensive.

It’s tempting to think the chalk words are just too darned cute because they are childishly simplistic, something Forrest Gump would come up with in his innocence. I could easily walk on by, forgetting that God authored words and language and meaning and His intent hasn’t changed.

I should not forget that Jesus drew children to Himself and chided the disciples for trying to keep them away. He obviously thought them worthy of His attention.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matthew 19:14

God alone is in control over the tragic events in Barcelona. My hope is in His love, His life and ultimately His boundless joy. While I wait for news from Spain, I rest like a weaned child, like one of the children in Jesus’ arms, remembering every promise for my entire family.

Perhaps I’ll even scribble more words in the dirt for Him!