In One Breath

"Cast all your anxiety on him, for he cares for you."

      1 Peter 5:7

"But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high."

       Psalm 3:3

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

        John 16:33

Peace.  Tranquility.  Life that is in control.  Its what we want -what we strive for. Sometimes we feel in control .  Life is smooth, easy.....we make decisions based on logical events to pursue goals that WILL happen.  We have plans.  Those things will occur because we have put everything in line to make them happen.

Then....in one breath ....everything changes. An accident.  A medical event.  Loss of a job.  Unexpected financial losses.  Something. Anything.  At that moment, many if not all of those carefully structured plans are in danger.  Either that, or they no longer matter.  Who cares about the new house if mom won't be in it?  That vacation becomes unimportant when your child is sick.  And the new vehicle has to wait if there's no income,or even less income.

I've had a number of those types of things lately.  You plan Mother's Day events , and instead end up in ER.  On the way to a day full of birthday celebrations, a call is made cancelling everything due to a medical emergency.  A job that was so desired doesn't happen.  Unexpected bills pile up relentlessly, forcing different plans and different priorities. The older I get, it seems the more this happens.

Actually, NOTHING is under our control.  We can make all the plans we want and basically what's going to happen....happens.  Our plans work out sometimes- but often they don't.  I think part of the problem with our dealing with those situations goes back to how we have isolated ourselves from life in our society.   In the 1800's, 43% of children died before their fifth birthday.  That's almost half. In 2015 it was 4.3%.  We are blessed by those statistics, but let's think about it a little bit.  In those days long ago, most families faced death, even the death of children, regularly.  It was not an uncommon thing .  People didn't go to a hospital or a nursing home to die.  Most died at home, and they are usually "laid out" right in the living room of their own homes.  Sounds horrible to us, but it provided children and families with the opportunity to understand that this process was normal - a natural part of life that happens to everyone.  There was less horror involved if that makes sense.

I often think of my grandparents.  They married in 1922 and were farmers, as many were during that time.  Their only source of income is what they earned on their farm.  I have a picture of one year, when the grasshoppers struck the corn crop.  There are pieces of stalks left- that's it.  No money coming for that year.  But they EXPECTED difficulty.  One thing or another happened often enough that, although very difficult, they got through it.  It was just LIFE.  Ups and downs were natural.

I believe past generations we forced-more often and certainly earlier in life- to seek God.  They had too much going on in their lives to live without Him.  They needed Him to be the peace they didn't otherwise have.  Hardship was a part of life.  Life was hard for everyone, not just a few.

Now, many of us consider it "hard" if our phone dies or the Keurig doesn't work. I have been "unplugged" so to speak for about a month.  First I was at a fireworks stand, then when I got home my wifi was not working.  Took me over a week  to get it back on.  Felt totally out of sync.  Kinda out of control.   I couldn't do a lot of the things I normally do....pay bills, view online Bible study videos....connect with others.  In the daily grind, sometimes those things seem like real problems.  We have made our lives so comfortable that even the smallest inconvenience throws us for a loop.  But not much drives us to God the way it did our ancestors.

Do we still have unspeakable tragedies?  Sure.  I think of a local family I heard of today who lost their 4 year old in a farming accident.  Horrible.  Life changing.  Beyond my ability to really comprehend.  My suspicions are that many in this family will be forced to their knees, seeking God.  How else to survive?

But what about the rest of us?  Because we face hardship much less than in our ancestors' time, are we driven to our knees as often?  I don't think go.  Sure, we are stressed out, short-fused, irritable, and tired, but its NOT THE SAME.

I have some family members that I feel God is pursuing.  He wants us....and He will come after us.  Sometimes, it's not in a pretty way.  I remember when that happened to me.  I have a dear friend who will verify this.  Incident after incident, stress and trauma over and over again.   Relentless. Until one day.... He used what would finally bring me to my knees.  I have not been the same since.  I KNOW I can not do life without Him.  I have had my share of events since that time, but they were all "do-able" because of my relationship with Him.

I want that so much for my family, friends, everyone.  I want them to know the unbelievable power of a life lived through Christ.  I don't want them to hit that event that "In One Breath" changes everything  before they recognize their need for Him on a moment by moment basis.  Do you know people that need Him?  Is it you?  We have to be more proactive in helping all of those we love find the relationship , not just a going through the motions kind of Christianity.  We have to.  Because 'in one breath' it may be too late.