Sane and Secure in a World That's Not

August 30, 2021

What a world we are waking up to every morning! Even if you had a fairly long night of restful sleep without troubling dreams, awakening to reality can frighten you, depress you, and trouble your day. Listening to the news can cause the stoutest heart to shudder.

Just in the news this week: The Afghanistan crisis is horrific beyond understanding. Not only is it heart wrenching to consider the fate of the innocents under the domination of the Taliban, but our own Americans are also sacrificing and serving in a cause where there are no winners. Thirteen Americans died in a heartless attack this week, and more attacks are sure to follow.

Just south of us, the island nation of Haiti, already poor and troubled beyond belief, suffered a 7.2 earthquake in this same time period. Many dead, many with irrecoverable injuries, many without homes. It’s a terrible situation with rains making it worse, and recovery will be years in the making. They haven’t recovered from the 2010 earthquake, still with piles of concrete and debris everywhere.

Hurricane Ida is bearing down on Louisiana with memories of Katrina still in the hearts and minds of people. They are helplessly and somewhat hopelessly waiting for the disaster and loss of life that seems certain to come.

COVID-19 has re-exerted itself. In fact, it appears to have had a resurrection in deviant forms and is now showing up in deer and other animals. The information we receive is spotty and changing, which makes some people believe we are being deliberately misled, instead of accepting that this is a new situation no one is equipped to meet.

America is politically divided. It’s not a friendly division. There are continual hostilities, hatred, and virtual civil war. In the original civil war, most enemies were somewhat geographically divided. Today the fights and division are within your own family, neighborhood, and church. People are angry, fearful, and full of anxiety, which makes everything volatile and uncertain.

So what do we do?

Two perspectives from Jesus point us in the only helpful direction: First, Jesus told us that this world is not our home. He said in John 14 that He has prepared a home for us. Over and over again He has invited us to be citizens of His kingdom, which is not of this world. We can’t afford to get too cozy here. As the old spiritual testifies, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through! My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door. And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” We work for the good of our world, but we recognize it’s not permanent.

We don’t allow ourselves to be shaken or panicked because Jesus was completely honest with us when he said, “In this world you will have trouble.” There will be suffering because we have an Enemy. But then He says, “Be of good courage—I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33).

Because we have Jesus, we have so much to share with our world. We are kicking off a new series titled RENT FREE. We will be discovering the resources God has given us to deal with the events and environments that affect our mental health. How do we deal with everything that is happening? How do we address the coronavirus? War? Natural disasters? Illnesses? And then all the personal losses, disappointments, and wounds? We can not only survive but thrive, and we can help those around us find security and peace.

Here is an invitation to our new series, RENT FREE, to give to a friend, family member or co-worker.