Hold On!

Watching the waves crash over moss-covered rock jetties can be quite relaxing. Walking on wet, moss-covered rocks without falling is quite the feat extraordinaire!

Looking more closely, I wonder what life is like for the moss covering these rocks. As the tide rolls in, it is bombarded by crashing waves, yet it continues holding on to the rock with a simple anchor system. As the tide rolls back out again, the moss is left to dry out in the sun. Each moss leaf is only one cell thick. Look up images of leaf biology, and you’ll see how amazing that is! What’s even more impressive is how the moss survives the crashing waves and scorching sun with such a simple, frail structure.

As humans, we tend to see ourselves as invincible and long-lasting. But, like the moss, we are weak and fragile. The storms of life can knock us off of our footing if we are not anchored correctly to a firm foundation.  Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock” (NLT). David said of God, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2 NLT). While we live out our days on this earth, we need to anchor ourselves firmly on the Rock of Jesus Christ.

After all of the difficult times we survive throughout our lifetimes, each one of us eventually has an end. David also said, “You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a ‘breath'” (Psalm 39:5 NLT). How could David say that he would never be shaken, while knowing that his life would one day end? Isn’t death a serious shaking in our lives? After all, it’s the END!

Or is it? Jesus said in Matthew 6:20, “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.” Why would we be storing treasures in heaven if we weren’t going to go there? Paul writes to the Colossians about their “confident hope of what God has reserved for [them] in heaven” (Colossians 1:5). Why would God reserve something for us there, if we were not going to receive it later? The end of our lives here is not the final chapter. There’s more!

What is your foundation, and where is your trust? Is it in wealth? As they say, “You can’t take it with you!” Your friends can leave, your strength and abilities can be lost, and your mind can grow weak. Your accomplishments will one day be forgotten. But anchor yourself in God, and He will never leave you. Even after death, Christ will be your Savior, and take you to the place He has prepared for you. “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:2-3 NLT).

Hold on!