I am a musician – (well at least in my own head I am.) I have had some beautiful guitars and other musical gear over the last few years and actually, it was a picture of my old gear that sparked the idea for this blog. I saw all my guitars, amps and effects pedals and I wondered how I have had so much once upon a time and now am left with only an acoustic guitar and nothing else. Isn’t that exactly how life is – one day you’re up and the next you’re down?
Looking back over my life I realise I have had many things to be grateful for and I have also lost a lot of things because of a variety of reasons.
Mountains and valley
In life, we will face it all – the ups and downs, the love and heartache, peace and stress, happiness and sadness. Every one of us on this planet will experience it all and it doesn’t matter how important you think you are, or how rich you might be – those things do not make any difference when it comes to life happening. Life continues to throw mountains in our paths – It’s how we react that determines whether we survive or not.
This is actually a great revelation because it can help us understand what is happening when the world seems to be crumbling underneath our feet.
Timing is everything
I was comforted by this verse the other day when thinking about life and how we can believe we have it all figured out. Then it all goes pear-shaped and you realise you do not have anything figured out. Instead you are just constantly readjusting your strategy as you zig and zag through life’s unpredictable moments.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Everything Has Its Time
3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
The great thing is that when we get this revelation – that there is a time for everything and that nothing is guaranteed to go the way you want it to go – we can (better) accept when we have it all and when we lose it all.
Valuable lesson
Paul caught this revelation and knew that no matter what happened, he could and would choose to be content. Check out what Paul said:
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ,[a] who gives me strength. – Philippians 4: 11-13
See that Paul says in verse 11 that he has learned to be content. That shows me that this is a skill that we need to be quite intentional about honing. You see, we humans in our finite wisdom and ability, always tend to stress out when we feel like the ground is beginning to crumble under our feet. The trick is to learn how to be content regardless of the situation you may be facing. After all, material things come and go and have little or no meaning or importance when held up in comparison to your life or the life of a loved one. We all want the best for our families and our life, but that is never guaranteed. Instead we should really make it our aim to learn to be content no matter what situation we find ourselves in, knowing that God is in control and that He has a great plan for all of our lives.
If you have not yet felt the feeling of Gods strength taking over from the point where your weakness begins to cause you to fall, I pray that you will. Nothing but Gods love and power is guaranteed in this life. There is nothing that compares to the feeling of peace you receive when you call out to Him and acknowledge your need for Him in every situation in your life.
If you’d like to chat more or find out more about Gods love and peace, please click the pop-up or link below. You’ll be glad you did.
Your life will never be the same again.