I find myself looking at the date and wondering how we got here so fast... 2021 !
It doesn't seem possible. It seemed that 2020 would never end and yet here we are in the new year... and already it seems like it may be longer than the previous year. I started this blog years ago as a haven on the internet of charm, beauty, and the graceful things of life. My ideas of what those things actually are have evolved over the years, but my trust in the Giver of those things has not. When all around us is chaos and confusion, there is still one place to look for true Beauty and that is to the One who IS beauty: Jesus Christ. I think our desire to surround ourselves with beautiful things comes from a DEEP, DEEP longing for the One who makes all things beautiful.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11
It has been a long year of uncertainty, unrest, and unrepentance. Despite the wake up call that Covid should have given to us, the world and its evils continue to spin out of control. We look around at the values we have long held dear -- truth, beauty, goodness, purity, integrity, freedom -- and see that they are slipping away like sand through our fingers. Yet, if we truly know the One who IS beauty, we cannot be shaken because we are securely a part of His kingdom that cannot be shaken.
"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:28
No matter if all the ground around me crumbles away, He will continue to be the firm foundation even if just underneath my feet. I have no need to fear...
"Why should I fear in days of adversity,
When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
Even those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the abundance of their riches?
No man can by any means redeem his brother
Or give to God a ransom for him—
For the redemption of his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
That he should live on eternally,
That he should not undergo decay.
For he sees that even wise men die;
The stupid and the senseless alike perish
And leave their wealth to others.
Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They have called their lands after their own names.
But man in his pomp will not endure;
He is like the beasts that perish."
Psalm 49:5-12
Whatever this world throws at me, my life is in His hands. I pray that you, too, would have this assurance. For all my life, I have lived in one of the richest and most blessed nations in the history of the world. While this is true for those who have lived here, this has not exempted us from the struggles and challenges of life. This world, and specifically this nation, is filled with sin and those who give themselves to sin. I lived as a slave to sin for the first 18 years of my life and because of that inflicted the pain of that sinful, selfish life on others. But, at age 18 I discovered the great love of Jesus, that He had paid the penalty for that sin in order to bring forgiveness into my life and restore His relationship with me. This was the greatest gift of my life. Knowing Him (not just knowing about Him, but really KNOWING HIM) these past 38 years has been the ultimate freedom and joy. He has enabled me to live in ways I could never have lived, to love in ways I never imagined possible, to serve Him in ways that bring me true joy and fulfillment because it is filled with His purposes and not my own selfish desires. I can say with the apostle Paul...
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
that I may know Him
and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being conformed to His death;
in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Philippians 3:7-11
If this past year has taught us anything, it has taught us that ultimately we are not in control... we cannot control disease, the weather, the government, other nations, even the actions of those around us. If you think you are in control, then you might be delusional. The one guarantee we do have on this earth is that death will come for us, as it comes for all. Whether it comes sooner or later, it will surely come. And yet even with this death sentence... if we put our trust in Christ, the One who ultimately holds it all in His powerful hands, whether we live or whether we die we will be with Him forever. The One who knows us best loves us the most, and He provided the payment for our sin (the thing that causes separation from Him) by coming to earth and dying on a cross. He showed us His mighty power through His resurrection, and He freely offers us this power when we put our trust in Him. So, whether we live or die is of no consequence. If I live I am His. If I die I am His.
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again." - Philippians 1:21-26
