Ups n' Downs

Life.

It's full of ups and downs, don't you agree? One moment you're on a mountain top, and you feel you can see the whole world and everything in it. And then the next moment, you find yourself in a valley covered with clouds and darkness and you can barely see your hand in front of your face.

But are we supposed to feel right all the time? That's a question that gets me. I want to feel right all the time! I want to feel as if everything is fun and enjoyable. But to be honest, it's not. There are dreary, dull things that each of us are called to do each day... and if you're anything like me, you might struggle with finding it pointless or boring...

Let me just be real with you. I just came off of an emotional high last week. I was on a retreat with a bunch of girls seeking God... and boy did He work! He showed up in ways I'd never seen Him before.

But then the moment I stepped off the plane on my way home, it was back to real life. My bank account needed some attention, my jobs as well as my chores at home seemed to call out to me and say, "hey, Sandie, where have you been?"

Things that I've allowed myself to slack on because I just wasn't here seemed to be backing me into a corner and smearing all over me, "FAILURE".

Even ministry responsibilities were up to my neck and I felt as though they themselves were standing over me saying, "you can't do this, so you shouldn't. You'll never do good enough at these things... There really is no hope for you."

So the spiritual high became not so high...

Let me tell you, writing this is more for me at this moment than it is for anyone else.

This morning I was reading in the Psalms, glossing through them because I'd read them many times before. I was getting ready to close that book and go on to Matthew and pick up where I'd left off when God stopped me. Go back and write down those verses you read that stuck out... He seemed to whisper.

For some reason, I went back to Psalm 62 first and wrote down just one verse:

"I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken." (verse 1)

 Three phrases jumped out at me while I wrote.

Wait Quietly -It speaks of unquestioning hope, silent expectation. I expect something from God, so I wait before Him, looking to Him, knowing He will give it. It's not up to me to have victory, it's up to Him.

He Alone -There's nobody else. He's the only One. I have no other options, no "plan B". Nobody else can protect or save me. I'm utterly dependent on Him and Him alone.

Never Shaken -He doesn't waiver, so why should I? In Him nothing can shake me. The more in Him I am the less of a threat to me everything else becomes. My joy and peace are not dependent on life's many ups and downs, it's dependent on Him and He never is shaken, so I don't need to be shaken either!

How hidden in Christ are you, dear Christian? Do you know that your life is already hid in Christ? (Col 3) But, is your heart there too? Are you waiting quietly before Him in every circumstance? Is your confidence in Him and Him alone?

Those were the questions I had to ask myself this morning... Placing my trust in Him is a day to day choice that I must make... Never is there a moment when I should take the day off from being with Him...

Life is completely unpredictable, wouldn't you agree? I make plans in the morning, but most of the time, my day doesn't go anything like I planned. Life throws angry blows at me all the time! One moment I feel loved, then the next it feels like the whole world is against me. Nothing is predictable.

There is only One we can be confident will never do anything to harm us. He is stable, kind, gentle. When He brings changes into our lives, we can accept them because they are from His hand, and He never forces us to do anything. His love for us is very great! How can we doubt Him? He's not the kind of God that demands service from us always. No, He wants us to sit at His feet and take in His beauty, trade our burdens for His peace, trade our pain and sorrow for His joy! He wants us to look to Him, quietly enjoying everything that He is to us.

Assure yourself of this one thing, dear Christian: He LOVES you! In Him, you cannot be shaken. Do you believe that? He asks you to. Why not take Him at His word?