I recently visited the Peace Memorial Park in Okinawa, Japan. There are tablets and tablets of names of Americans, British, Okinawans, Japanese, Koreans and others who died there, many of them civilians.

My father, who died a few years ago, was one of the survivors of that battle and it left wounds on his heart that he carried his whole life. I prayed for him and so many others who risked their lives and bore great suffering in the service of their country.

Okinawa was devastated by the war, but it has been rebuilt and looks very prosperous. There is a modern looking monorail speeding through the heart of Naha, its largest city.

All of us have moments of devastation and challenge in our own lives.

The current economic crisis is taking its toll on many families. Jobs have been lost, it is harder to stretch the family budget, life seems less secure. The difficult moments in life can be both painful and yet moments of growth and new beginnings in our lives.

I remember a wise, old seminary professor who told us that a Christian is not someone who never falls. All humans fall short of who we are called to be, at times. A Christian is someone who knows how to get up again, who does not give up, who knows that the Lord will never let us down, and is with us at every step of the journey.

I often reflect on the story, in John's gospel, of the woman caught in adultery.

She is dragged in front of everyone and is humiliated.

After Jesus saves her from the hypocritical and self-righteous crowd, he looks at her and understands her struggle. She knows she has done something wrong, she doesn't need to have her face rubbed in it, to dwell on it.

Jesus knows that if she sees herself as soiled and worthless, then that is who she will become. She will lower her expectations of herself.

He forgives her and encourages her. He restores her sense of human dignity. He gives her hope.

As we celebrate this season of Thanksgiving and Christmas life may seem difficult, we may be struggling in different ways, but we have hope in our hearts. If that woman could rebuild her life, if places devastated by wars can come to life again, there is hope for us all.

If we truly become a people of Thanksgiving, who can see blessings, even in difficult times, we can rebuild our lives in even better ways. Let us be a people of hope so that the love of Jesus can be reborn in our hearts and we can make all things new again.