READ: ZEPHANIAH 3: 14-20
“For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song. (V. 17)
Parachuting is not an activity on my bucket list. The exhilaration found when free falling from the skies until the chute opens fills me with more fear than excitement. Knowing that my safe arrival back on earth was totally reliant upon a properly packed and functioning chute, along with other factors such as wind and thermal currents, is filled with more risk than reward in my book. For those that engage in this endorphin producing thrill, I pray they will have many safe jumps from planes, buildings, cliffs and bridges.
While I cannot relate, by personal choice, to the experience of free falling associated with parachuting, I can claim a close kinship to those of my brothers and sisters, who at times have had their lives free fall and spin out of control. This feeling is brough on by a wide variety of factors and varies greatly from person to person. I can recall “free falling” when I was involved in a police duty related car crash that took the life of another person; when one of my best friends was shot and killed by a bank robber; when my wife and I experienced the death of a son shortly after being born; when my daughter was diagnosed with a border line personality disorder; and twice when I was afflicted by cancer that required surgery and chemo therapy. Suddenly, I felt like I was being pushed out into open space with no control of where or how hard I might land. Looking back on my years, I realize I was never the only one. While the causes might differ, free falls in life are a part of our connected human existence.
However, while each of us has been through times of free falling, what truly matters is found in our response. How hard we hit or how far we fall is directly tied to our spiritual foundations. (Luke 6: 46-49) Understanding in your mind and heart that Jesus is with you, holding your hand, as your life seems to be plummeting out of control, will bring your free fall to an immediate safe landing in His arms. On the other hand, bemoaning your circumstances and trying to handle things entirely by yourself, will cause your parachute to fail causing serious injury or death. Therefore, it is imperative that we rely fully on Jesus to help us prepare and pack our parachutes of life.
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Make no mistake, at times we are going to fall from our airplanes of life. Surviving depends upon your fully trusting Christ to bring you safely home.
Der Jesus, thank you for the reassurance of your presence at all times and places.