by: Christina Stolaas
It’s hard to believe it’s been so long, but it was ten years ago that I graduated college. I remember well the sense of accomplishment and weight of pressure that overtook my heart simultaneously as I walked across that stage. I carried my diploma, smiling and hoping it was a ticket that would provide some security in my future.
In the past ten years I have carried many other things– I have carried a marriage certificate, I have carried four beautiful children, I have carried job titles, home mortgages and adequate bank accounts. In each of these seasons of life, and all of the other monumental accomplishments, I have grasped for security. I have placed confidence in my own abilities, hoping that hard work and wise choices would make me exempt from the unpredictability life is characterized by.
Graduation was the close of one chapter; it was followed by the rapid beginning of another. Since that day, many more chapters of my life story have been written; some really beautiful wonderful ones, and some that are very difficult, even heartbreaking to read. Though the chapters are written different for each of our lives, there is one consistency all of our stories share; I hope you discover it sooner then I did:
Life is full of false security. No one is immune to it’s unpredictability.
We’ve all witnessed life changes in a moment in the lives of friends, family, classmates, or church members. Diseases come, jobs are lost, tragedy strikes, marriages end, and without warning life can come to sudden crash. If you’ve witnessed the sudden crash from only a distance; perhaps you’ve concluded you can reduce the risks. The reality is there are some circumstances that we can’t foresee and some bullets that can’t be dodged. There is a time in all of our lives where every false security will disillusion even the most prudent among us.
In this life, God is the only source of true security. As you chase your dreams and live out all He’s called you to be — keep Him at the center. Both thrilling opportunities and defeating disappointments await you in the years ahead; life is a ride with breathtaking views from the peak followed by harrowing descents to the bottom. There is only One who offers to go with us, not in front of us, nor behind us, but with us through each of these moments.
Psalm 91:14 reads:
The Lord says: I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
Are you looking for a security for the future? Need an anchor that will hold through the turbulent moments of life? God’s word uses the word will as a promise from our covenant keeping God for people who: love Him, trust Him, and call on Him. His response to our love, trust and prayers is guaranteed. There is no hint of a “maybe” in this passage. Thank you Father!
Psalm 91 is not a guarantee of control or predictability; it’s a promise that guarantees His presence and protection. It’s a promise that guarantees His answer. I have learned that sometimes His answer isn’t always what we would wish for or expect, sometimes the answer is wrapped in provision, sufficient grace or strength to endure.
Our actions demand a response, earlier in the same Psalm it says IF you make the Lord your refuge, IF you the Most High your shelter. (Psalm 91:9) Each of us have a choice as to where we find our security. We can grasp after accomplishments and move from one chapter to the next in the hope of climbing through this life unscathed, or we can choose to find our security in Him.
Christina is an energetic mom to four adorable young kids, wife, a lover of the outdoors and people. In her free time she enjoys writing, training for road races, drinking too much coffee, belly laughs with friends and pursuing a deeper walk with Jesus. She is forever thankful that God’s script for her life needs no editing (Romans 8:28). Christina blogs at www.rubiesinthedesert.com
