Disturbances

In honor of our local snowy welcome to spring, I thought I’d write another snowy post!

Looking out on a yard of pristine, freshly-fallen snow brings such a sense of serenity. Everything looks so peaceful, fresh, and clean (especially from inside, while I’m drinking a hot cup of cocoa). But then…the perfectly smooth landscape is disturbed by someone who dares to walk through it!! There’s no way to return that snow to its previous tranquil appearance. The deed has been done. Sigh…

This scene plays out all the time in our lives, in situations having nothing to do with snow. We may wake up one day with a clean slate of a schedule, looking forward to spending it as we wish. Then the phone rings with bad news, and the day is no longer ours.

Maybe we love the job we have, and look forward to spending years doing just what we enjoy. Unexpectedly the company has to lay off a large bulk of its employees, and we suddenly find ourselves out of the job we saw ourselves in indefinitely.

These disturbances can show up in any area of our lives. Health, family, friendships, college plans, church, and career can all seem settled and serene, but then something happens to disrupt the landscape.

What do we do with these disturbances? Should I cry and have a pity party because my yard is no longer pristine? Of course not. I should also not be at all surprised by it. I can appreciate the beauty of the scenery, but my peace should not be anchored in it. The same is true for life. We can welcome and be thankful for the tranquil parts of life, but they cannot be our source of inner peace. So often we allow the disturbances going on “out there” to rob us of our peace “in here.” It’s incredibly easy to be distracted and dismayed by our circumstances, when they are temporary.

God is eternal. “Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock” (Isaiah 26:4).

He is unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

He knows everything about you. “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me” (Psalm 139:1; read through verse 18).

He loves you. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Let’s enjoy the peaceful moments as gifts from God. James tell us that “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow” (James 1:17). On the flip side, let’s not be thrown off by the disturbances that come our way! Let’s keep our eye on the Rock Eternal, knowing that His plans and purposes will prevail (Isaiah 46:10). Our disturbances really are temporary, even if they last to the end of our earthly days! The light of eternity will make them seem like a wisp of smoke.

The Lord will work out his plans for my life–for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. ~ Psalm 138:8a