Finding Your Way

The book of Ecclesiastes seems to be very apropos for this season in our world. Several verses have stood out to me in my reading this week:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die… a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance… a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing” (3:1-5 ESV).

 “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (1:2-3).

“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” (2:11).

This is a time when many things are being stripped away. Perhaps we are learning what is vain and what really matters. Perhaps we are finding out what actually forms our identity. If we find our meaning in our careers, what happens when we can’t go to work? If our value is in our achievements in education or sports, who are we when we can’t do those things anymore? Even if we find our identity in our relationships, as valuable as those relationships are, where do we turn when we lose them?

It’s not surprising that people turn to drugs, alcohol, pornography, or other addictive behaviors to try to fill the holes or at least numb the sense of loss. We all like to avoid the difficulty of realigning our worldview when everything familiar and comfortable is taken away. It’s painful to discover that the things we placed so much value on can disappear without notice. And most of us have lost multiple things we valued. A video I watched described it as a kind of culture shock. We have to adapt to a new way of life while also mourning the old way.

While many people view religion as a crutch or a fantasy, those of us who do have faith understand it to be a different perspective on reality. While the world focuses on the here and now and each person is looking out for their own interests, we Christians remember that this world is not our permanent home. We look forward to the day when all things will be made new and we’ll no longer have to live in a world broken by sin. We still mourn the things we’ve lost here, but we do not mourn as those who have no hope for eternal life. If this world is indeed all there is then indeed “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32). But if there is more to come, we should “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Will we realign our priorities according to the world’s constantly changing standards or according to God’s standard? Will we find our identity in things that will eventually fall away or in the One who created us and gives us eternal life and value in Christ?

“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come… and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it… The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (12:1, 7, 13).

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Fear or Faith

“Let the morrow be what it may, our God is the God of tomorrow. Whatever events may have happened, which to us are unknown, our Jehovah is God of the unknown as well as of the known. We are determined to trust the Lord, come what may. If the very worst should happen, our God is still the greatest and best. Therefore will we not fear…” -Charles Spurgeon

Several years ago I wrote a post (here) based on Exodus 2:25: “God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” They’d been in Egypt about 400 years with conditions getting progressively worse. God didn’t suddenly remember that they were there. He’d known all along, but for whatever reason He allowed them to stay and suffer there until what He deemed to be the perfect time. Moses was in wilderness training in Midian for forty years while the Israelites suffered. Even through the ten plagues the people had to keep waiting. Curiously, for most of plagues the Bible does not specifically say that the Israelites living in the land of Goshen were protected from the effects of the plague. They probably wondered where God was and what He was doing. They certainly feared Pharaoh’s retribution, particularly when they were hemmed in by the Red Sea while Pharaoh’s army pursued them.

Even when they were safely across the sea and in the wilderness they couldn’t figure out why they were there or where they were going. They faced one doubt after another as they wandered, and they rebelled against God repeatedly because they didn’t trust His plan for them.

Our current trial with COVID-19 raises a lot of questions too. Why doesn’t God intervene with a miraculous cure? Why didn’t He stop it a long time ago? Is the Church going to suffer because of governmental restrictions? Are our religious freedoms in jeopardy? What good is going to come out of this? Although those are all valid questions, some of which we may never know the answer to, I think there are more important questions we need to ask ourselves: Are we going to feed our faith or our fear? Are we trusting that God knows every detail of what’s going on today and that He is still in control? Are we helping others to trust God through their doubts and fears?

I’ve been pleased with the way some churches, pastors, and leaders have stepped outside their comfort zones to use social media as a tool to share vital truths from Scripture. But I’ve also been frustrated by others who have a running negative commentary on society. At times like this, I think we need to be constantly looking for and sharing reasons for hope and peace and joy. That’s not to say we close our eyes to everything else, but there are already plenty of sources of negative news.

Going back to the Exodus story, think how different the ending would have been if it hadn’t been just Joshua and Caleb who encouraged the people to enter the Promised Land. What if the all of the spies had reported, “The land… is exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land and give it to us… Do not fear the people of the land… Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them” (Numbers 14:7-9). But the people chose fear over faith and paid the price of an entire generation dying in the wilderness before they could enter the Promised Land.

Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV).

Are we living as light in the world by sharing faith and hope, or are we contributing to its darkness by promoting fear and pessimism? Do unbelievers look at us and say “I want that kind of hope,” or do they say “They look just like everyone else now”? Do others see that we truly believe that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2)?

Let’s get busy sowing seeds of faith, not fear!

“For it is You who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness… He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?” (Psalm 18:28-31).

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.