The Top Shelf: The Ever-Present God — Monday
Hebrews 13:8-9
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them. (NLT)
As a kid, I was terrified of the dark. I guess I had what would be called a “vivid imagination,” which made things a lot worse. The thing about it is—I probably made the night terrifying for my parents, but for a different reason. Somewhere along the way, if I got up to go to the bathroom, I was too afraid to walk back to my room alone, so naturally, I would wake my parents up to have them help me. Thinking back on how I woke them up makes me think my parents probably hated me. I would finish up in the bathroom, walk to their doorway, and whisper “Momma” until one of them woke up and acknowledged me. I distinctly remember times when I didn’t get the response I needed, so I would go around to the side of the bed and proceed to whisper loudly until one of them would finally be startled out of their peaceful sleep. Imagine how terrifying that was… I was a creepy child!
I think being scared of the dark is comparable to the broader idea of fear of the unknown. What’s going to happen? What comes next? What did that mean? The fear of the unknown often translates into more specific “fears” as well—things like loneliness, restlessness, shame, and insecurity arrive in our lives as “strange, new ideas” (to reference today’s scripture) before we know what has happened. This passage of scripture is referring to more theological ideas, but in the same way, fearful ideas can also infiltrate our faith and affect how we see God. Soon, we start to feel alone, and we accuse God of being distant. Or we may even go through a shame-inducing circumstance and question why God thinks so poorly of us.
“BUT GOD.” A central theme this week is going to be the hinge point that God is in our circumstances. He is our grace-filled strength to endure with resilience the uncomfortable and unwelcomed circumstances of life. The grace-filled strength to know where our value comes from when we’re tempted to accept the low value we’ve been assigned or have assigned ourselves. No matter the fear, loneliness, shame, or insecurities we face—God’s grace is, and will always be, where our strength comes from, and we can find comfort in that every day.
Monday’s Reflection
Where are you denying God’s grace-filled strength in your life? Spend time today looking at the circumstances you’re currently in or have recently gone through, and consider if you’ve allowed God to be your strength or if you’ve looked for strength elsewhere. If you need help processing those difficult circumstances, our Care Team is here to help—visit southland.church/care for some great ways to connect with us today!
