Abide
As I look at the past few months I see us living in a world that is in constant turmoil. We have a culture that has redefined a number of words, changing definitions which have stood for hundreds of years. Our politicians have taken a confused approached to our southern borders, they orchestrated a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and have had a continual struggle to give clear directions as to how to deal with Covid. Experts continually change the rules as to how we are to combat it. We are living in a world where we do not know where to look for unbiased answers. All this upheaval and inconsistency has affected peoples well being. I just read a study that millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, have seen since 2013 a 47% increase in major depression diagnoses. We already know that mental health in grade school and high school children is also at an all-time low as a result of the closing of schools.
In my own personal life I have dealt with recent cancer surgery, a death of a close friend I have known for 50 years, a granddaughter that has childhood diabetes at age 5 and a son in law that had a heart attack in his 40’s.
Put this all together and one starts to feel like there is not a lot of hope in our current world. What is the anchor to get us through all these disheartening situations? We can look to health experts, politicians that believe as we do, our news media or rely on our own selves to deal with these issues. All of these will eventually let us down and lead us to hopelessness.
For me, Proverbs 3:5-7 encourages me to put my hope in Christ and allows me to look past where we are now to see that if we truly abide in Christ, as shown in John 15:4-7, there can be true hope in the future. It does require a belief in the power of Christ to overcome whatever we are facing and the discipline to follow Him his direction thru life’s joy and sorrows.
Proverbs 3:5-7 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight, Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
John 15:4-7 - Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
—Dave Menard