I took some time off from writing due to the weight and time of personal issues, but now I’m back. I can only hope this pleases you. In regards to my present status, the fire has been extinguished but the embers still burn, if I may employ a simple metaphor.
There are seasons in our lives when “bad things” happen as a result of a variety of circumstances. Alas, I am stating the obvious based on experiences we have all faced even from our earliest memories. However sometimes these “bad things” fall outside the threshold of what we may face on an ordinary day. The death of a loved one, a broken relationship, the loss of a career, or the bad report of a terminal illness. There are countless other examples of life changing events which come along, often without warning, catching us off guard which may cause us to lose our grip on those things which were once permanent and in our control.
As much as we’d like to think so, we are not in complete control of our lives. Think of yourself as the captain of a great sailing ship. You have been trained well in navigation, know your vessel inside and out, have made the proper navigational preparations for your finite voyage, and are qualified and ready to sail out onto the water. The one thing you are not in control of is what we may call impermanence.
Impermanence refers to the uncertain and temporary nature of much of what we regard as reality. Impermanence is the only guarantee in life. Growing old, losing a loved one, getting fired, getting divorced, meeting with an accident or suffering an unexpected financial loss — any of these can happen when you least expect it.
There you are, surrounded by a voluminous amount of water in a comparatively diminutive man-made craft tossed about the waves as skies grow darker and water more tumultuous. Due to the unfortunate reality of impermanence, things may go from bad to worse or, we prefer, may instead improve unexpectedly. We simply cannot know. But God does and either way, He’s got our back.
One of my favorite verses which I cling tightly to whenever I need a solid reminder of hope is Jeremiah 29:11, For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
One thing is also true: Our prior preparation and present reaction may be the difference between life and death, success or failure.
Ultimately for me knowing that the Creator and Sustainer of all things has got my back gives me the peace to sleep soundly every night. The torment of the present is finite but His love and promises are eternal.
Except on those sleepless nights when the neighbor’s pesky dog won’t stop barking at 3AM. Lord, come quickly!
Jim
Welcome back to Substack, Jim. Many of us missed you. I love your conclusion., "One of my favorite verses, which I cling tightly to whenever I need a solid reminder of hope, is Jeremiah 29:11-13, For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." No truer words.
Good to have you back, Jim. As you point out, impermanence, or change, can be long-term, like growing old, or unexpected, such as losing a loved one. Either way, it can be disheartening. That's why Psalm 55:19 has often comforted me, "They have no changes, therefore they fear not God." I learn from this that change is among the ways God turns us to Him. It's reassuring to know, in the words of Charles Spurgeon, "All my changes come from Him who never changes."