Trapped between staying informed and protecting peace
Constantly driven to tears then to sleep
I’ve experienced many heartbreaks
But none like these
Deaths of loved ones, seemingly daily
Violence and natural disasters
Blood flowing down the side of the hill
Like rushing waters would

I have lamented humankind’s existence
We are people being raised by pain-filled experiences
Shaped by the very things we see on our screens
Shaped by very things we read in newspapers
Shaped by the very things we hear on the radio
Boxed in
Encircled
Is there any way out?
And all we feel is fear and gloom
Mercilessly doom-scrolling like Habakkuk witnessing destruction before his very eyes
God, do You not hear our cries?

Hope cannot be found in media
Reporting sends us into isolation if we are not careful
I have been there
A flower cannot bloom in a dark room
Let the sun shine in
Let the Son shine in

Give us stability
Strength to believe that the world will not be like this forever
The will to be people of light in a lost world
We are in chaos without a Compass
We are clueless without a Counselor
We are weak without the Word
Anguish will not be the death of us as long as we have breath
Meet us here
Let hope flood our senses
And our lives shaped by Your truth

_{Photo by Anna Might (IG:@annamighttakepics)}