We go through life collecting things and gathering people around us, don’t we? Some people collect art, or pottery, or dolls, or books, or cars. We try to make our homes places that comfort us by having things and people we love around us. There’s nothing wrong with that. The older we get, the more friends we have known and the more children and grandchildren we produce. Our lives become full. But I’m at that place all of a sudden where it feels like the tide is turning. Feels rather like a reversal at the moment.
I have special friends who have experienced loss recently. One had an only child move away, then had her dear husband pass away at the same time. Another friend had her daughter get married and move out. Another friend just lost her son. I’ve had friends even mourn the loss of a job, a lifestyle, a home, a marriage, and a pet.
Loss is part of life, isn’t it? Even if it’s healthy and brings our life change and forward momentum, it’s never very easy. And God’s Word does not go easy on us in this regard either. Philippians 3:7 says, “Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant…” You think about what many people all around the globe give up in order to have the privilege of following Christ and it puts your own life in perspective.
With God as our Savior, we always win. If we can keep our eyes focused on Him and His goodness, His blessings, everything else can fall into place. I think we try too hard to collect and gather sometimes. Learning to let go and just BE is a tough thing for most of us. But God also says to “be still and know that I am God”. Does that require some amount of trust? I think so. Trust really transcends the way I feel. Like most things, it’s a choice I must make, to trust God.
I was just reading about gathering things/stuff/people in our lives and was just listing things that I have gathered since I have truly become a christian. These are the things I have gathered, trust (this doesn’t come easy for me), love, faith, belief. There are other things that I have had to gather in the past 4 years, but you know what???? Just living in the word and being as Christ like as I can has changed my world so much and I know it is only going to get better each day. I love gathering christian friends (I don’t believe we can have too many of these). It seems like the more I am around them the more peace I have in my life and I know without God in my life, nothing is worth gathering.
Helen