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b'Something I realized about the world recently is how seriously broken it\\nis. I knew this before, but I didn\\u2019t have any profound personal experiences\\nto help me understand what that truly meant. I can recall times of sadness\\nand hopelessness during difficult circumstances in my life, but those\\nfeelings passed fairly quickly. Now, I see that brokenness amplified; it\\nseems to be everywhere I look. Starting with the onset of COVID-19, the\\nworld as I knew it, bright and full of possibility, slowly grew dark as\\nCOVID-19 dimmed my optimistic perspective. Ironically, it was there in the\\ndark that I could see the world\\u2019s brokenness so clearly.\\n.\\nI learned to live in that darkness, the tension of seeing the world\\u2019s\\nbrokenness and being suddenly confronted with my own. In a way, COVID-19\\nhas felt like a reality check. Beforehand, I was just minding my own\\nbusiness, living my sweet little life. I felt alright, not like I was\\nseriously broken or weak. But when things changed and everyone was under\\n\\u201clockdown,\\u201d it was so weird. The fact that we\\u2014as a nation, as the world, as\\nthe human race\\u2014weren\\u2019t able to defeat this illness was terrifying. I didn\\u2019t\\nrealize until then just how incapable, weak, and broken we really are at\\nthe core.\\n.\\nBut that\\u2019s when I had to remember God. I had to remember that even though\\nthe sickness going around is bad, He\\u2019s still good. He has compassion on His\\ncreation, and He\\u2019s still working out His good purposes (Psalm 100:5). I had\\nto remember Jesus said that though we will have trouble, He has overcome\\nthe world (John 16:33). Because God loves us, Jesus died and rose from the\\ngrave for us, and we can look forward to the day He will return bodily to\\nearth and restore His creation. I had to remember that even though I am\\nweak, He is my strength (Psalm 28:7). And as I recall His Word, He\\u2019s using\\nit in my life daily, renewing my joy. \\u2022 Emily Rondello\\n.\\n\\u2022 How have you seen brokenness on display, either in your own life or in\\nthe world around you?\\n.\\n\\u2022 Especially when we\\u2019re confronted with pain and suffering, God invites us\\nto draw near to Him and receive His comfort. Why is it important for us to\\ntake time with God, remembering the hope He gives us in the gospel? (If you\\nwant to know more about the gospel, check out our \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.)\\n.\\n\\u2022 If you want to dig deeper, read Psalm 77 and follow its model by telling\\nGod about the hard things you\\u2019re experiencing, and remembering who He is\\nand some of the things He has done.\\n.\\n\\u201cI [Jesus] have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You\\nwill have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the\\nworld.\\u201d John 16:33 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPs.77|2Cor.1.3-2Cor.1.11|John.16.33'