Only so far

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. (Desmond Tutu)

The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. (Psalm 121:7-8)

We might not feel like much 'watchfulness' is occurring at times, life spiraling out of control, things happening outside of our influence, but definitely influencing our lives in one way or another. What do we do when things start to spiral? Do we immediately jump into the worrying mode, fear creeping in, feeling a bit intimidated by the moment? Do we lift a quick prayer to God for his help and assurances? When all around us is in chaos, it is sometimes hard to remember God keeps watch - no matter the circumstances!

Light despite all the darkness - isn't that what Tutu said? It sounds a bit like our Psalm today, doesn't it? We may come and go, today and in the future, and God's care over us will never be disrupted. A disruption is merely a disturbance or interruption in life that sets the events of the moment in motion. That motion may attempt to take us an entirely different direction than we had been traversing, can it not? If you have ever tried to paddle a boat or swim against the current that begins to swirl around you, you soon realize that there are influences beyond your 'seeing eye' that are making the journey just a bit harder than you thought it would be.

We used to visit the river for a bit of wading in the cool waters, floating on inner tubes, and picnic along the shore when the kids were smaller. It took just one time when the current began to take my son away from shore and into the main 'stream' of flowing water to let me know the dangers were there, but totally unrecognized until the 'drift' began to happen. It was slow at first, but the speed at which it progressed was almost beyond my ability to respond. That is how life comes at us at times, with small influences causing us to drift a bit, then we get caught up in the full 'pull' of the 'current' of the day.

That current doesn't need to take us with it - we can choose to do what I did with the kids. I tied the inner tubes to a longer rope, making them secure because they were anchored to a large tree on shore. Yes, the current still existed and it still attempted to pull, but there was only so far the tube would go until the anchor pulled it back to the safety of the shoreline! Being anchored in Jesus has the same effect, my friends. We can only go so far and then we will feel the tug of his protection bringing us back to the place of safety. Just sayin!