Finding Stability in an Unstable World

This title is the title for many sermons. It is appropriate because so many of us are feeling unstable. We no longer have the anchors we depended on for so long. It wasn't that long ago that most of us could depend on the news media for accurate and timely news. It hasn't been that long that we depended on our government officials to do the right thing. I can remember when the world went a lot slower and honored those who stuck with an organization. I can also still remember when you had a job for life.

Now we do struggle. There are no solid positions, at least I haven't found any. Everyone is being pushed into the gig economy where you contract out jobs and people. We have reached the point where machines can do all the mundane work. Even our money is transitory. One minute it is there and the next it is gone.

This is an unstable world. It is difficult to find stability when everything moves at lighting speed. You have stop but are not sure how. Finding stability in an unstable world is impossible without God. He is outside time and space. He is all-knowing and all-powerful.

We don't have to struggle once we realize that God is in control. He is our stable core and the answer to the "six blind men and the elephant" puzzle. Only God can bring all the perceptions together as a whole. I admit that I have been struggling with this puzzle for awhile now. I wondered how all the perceptions of one animal could be brought together.

It shouldn't surprise me that the "six blind men and elephant" puzzle stumped me. I was looking at it all wrong. I thought wrongly that because everyone perceived things differently that there could be no consensus. Solving this puzzle though is a key element to finding stability. Right now the world is unstable because no one is willing to attach themselves to the one stable element in the universe. That stable element is God. He is the answer to that puzzle.

With God in the picture things definitely become clear. The perceptions of men that design to lead people away from God have no power. It is only through God that we can find stability in an unstable world.

I know now that I need to rely more of God than on my own devices. Thank you, Lord for stability.

Riding The Waves of Change

You might be thinking right about now why I titled this blog post "Riding The Waves of Change." This week I've really felt that I have been literally riding the waves. One day would be great. The next day I'd feel as if the bottom dropped out. It hasn't been easy adjusting to the life I now have. Some very wise people tell you that you really can't predict how grief will affect you. No one has the guidebook on how you're supposed to live after this type of loss.

There are still some things I can't get past. I do want to get past them at times. Other times I just want to cling to stuff I probably should be letting go. I am slowly learning to let go and not rally against the changes that are taking place. I do want to ride those waves of change knowing that God is unchangeable. I sometimes doubt that. I reason that God has changed because he can't remain static. I don't grasp then that God has to remain stable.

There is something deep inside me that yearns for that stability. In this ever changing world where everything seems unstable, it is good to know that God remains stable. He is the one unchangeable focus in the universe. It is because God is always there and constant that I can confidentially ride the waves of change. I know that I can depend on him to see me through and bring me home.

Some of you reading this now can probably relate to the feeling of being tossed to and fro by the waves of change. You can't understand all that is happening around you. You want to. It seems impossible and a bit overwhelming. I can definitely relate to feel overwhelmed by all that is happening in our country. I admittedly hate change, even when it's a good change. It has been a struggle for me to accept the changes and move on. I am not the type of person who readily embraces change. I guess it is in my makeup to question the changes, balk a little and then test the waters. I like having a solid base in which to lean on when these changes occur.

I am not someone who changes "just because" someone says that the change will be good for me. I like to take my time and analyze the change first. Some people hate that I just don't jump when opportunity shows itself. I am a steady and dependable person even when I'm riding the waves of change. I thank the Lord that he is my rock and fortress in the storms of life.

Finding New Life in a Hostile World

These past two weeks have been eye opening to say the least. My mind is still processing things. I am realizing that things that I thought were pretty stable aren't really that stable. It happened like most things happen. I wasn't prepared for it. I don't think anyone can prepare. The world of my youth and those shadows of the past that frightened me then are a reality now. Yet surprisingly the fear that I felt then doesn't effect me the same way. It is hard to describe.

It is funny how things that happen outside your own little world can affect you so much. I had to admit that I didn't have a clue on how to move forward. The information I received disturbed me. I had to process it, analyze it and make some sense of it. It wouldn't be easy. I had to trust that God knew this was happening and had orchestrated it from the beginning.

I am grateful that God is in control. With him I do have new life in this hostile world. Without him I am nothing. It is a lesson that I need to learn over and over again. I can't let frustration and anger get the best of me. I have to allow God to do his perfect work. I have to be his willing servant and heir.

Yes, when I think about all the deception in the world, I cringe. In my own strength I am no match for Satan's schemes. He loves to throw the doubt and despair card at me. He loves to distort words to rile up enemies. He is the Father of Lies. I know that I have no power on my own. I crumble and flail when I'm left to my own devices. Yet I also know that I'm never alone. I can find new life in this hostile world. I can rise above those who would pull me down into the pit of despair and desperation. I'm not going there anymore. I am embracing the new life God has given me through his son's sacrifice.

I can't ever forget that sacrifice. Jesus took my place. It is because of him that I can live in this hostile world. It is because he lives that I live in him. That concept sometimes still blows me away. I struggle to comprehend his great love for me. I do long for others to know this love. My words felt inadequate to express it properly. (John 3:16) For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that we may have eternal life. Pondering those words again makes my heart soar.