Saturday, September 16, 2017

Lead Me to the Rock that is Higher Than I

Thinking today about the storms in life...and the storms of life; the ones you can prepare for...the ones you can't. 

And how when you think things are going one way, they can take a sudden turn. 

And how a hurricane may "hit" some directly...but the outer bands can also affect those not directly in it's path. Like how a tragedy can directly affect one person, but the ripples can touch the lives of many others. 

And I was thinking how when the winds howl, we strain to hear words of instruction and peace. 

And when the waters rise, we all look for a higher ground...and for something or Someone to cling to. 

When there's turmoil all around us, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and distracted by the devastation. 

And when things are brought bare, there is no "easy fix." 

It's gonna take tearing away and digging up and you have to go all the way down to the foundation. 

It's not easy to "just go on" after a shock, after a diagnosis, after a loss. You can't slap on a coat of paint, or flip a breaker, or sew on a patch. Sometimes you have to go down to the studs, clean out what is rotting, remove what is malignant...and start from there. 

Maybe it's because my husband works for a utility company, but I'm aware that restoration after a storm is not always as simple as flipping a switch. 

It's not always as easy as attaching a line. 

Sometimes, you have to start with the infrastructure...you have to clear the roads to get the trucks in. You have to clear the line of debris. You have to set new poles. 

Like in life, restoration takes time, patience, intention, tenacity. 

And the time it takes...it changes you. 

Because even after things are fixed...if they are able to be fixed...they not the same. 

And we are not the same. 

There are some things that happen in life that can't be wrapped up neatly in a bow. 

Because what is new can't always replace the old. And because loss leaves scars. And because some things can never be the same. 

Where do you put your hope? 

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand." 

"From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2