“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” We have all heard the famous saying penned by Benjamin Franklin. It speaks to us of the uncertainties of life and the inevitability of change. If you’ve spent much time on this terrestrial sphere, you have come to realize that there isn’t much that a person can count on. We can make plans, but there’s no guarantee that any of them will ever come to pass. We all know people whose plans for life were cut short by illness, tragedy, or financial calamity. Truly, there are very few things in life we can count on. Life is fluid. It’s like a river that is forced to twist and turn as it makes its way toward the ocean. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring or how the events of tomorrow will affect our plans for the future. It can be a little unsettling to ponder this reality. What do we do when we realize that our lives are riddled with uncertainty? Where can we find a foundation solid enough to carry us through the uncertainties of this world?
For the follower of Christ, there are some things that we can count on. There are truths that serve as a warm blanket for the soul. They bring comfort and peace even in the midst of turmoil and ambiguity. They supply a foundation that’s strong enough to hold in the fiercest tempest. They provide courage in the face of our most crushing fears. They furnish an anchor that keeps the soul steady when circumstances erupt in our lives that threaten to send us into the depths of despair. Among the many truths from scripture that we can count on, two of the most powerful are God’s grace and God’s love.
In a world of uncertainty, we can count on the truth that the grace of God is sufficient for us. When Paul was walking the face of this earth, he was afflicted with a “thorn in the flesh.” We don’t know what that thorn was, but we do know that he pleaded with God for its removal on three different occasions. God’s reply to Paul provides a principle that tutors us all. He told Paul that he wasn’t going to remove Paul’s thorn in the flesh for some very specific reasons. That must have been disheartening for Paul to hear that, but the Lord also added a word of encouragement when He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). When life becomes particularly grueling, it is in that moment that we comprehend the true depths of our weakness. For the follower of Christ, it is also in that moment that we begin to grasp how unfathomable His grace and His strength are.
Another truth we can count on is that He loves us. If you’re like me, there are many times in life that you feel unlovable. It’s easy for me to believe that God will love some future version of me, but how could He love me now? I am constantly being wooed by the things of this world and my heart so easily wanders from the God I love. How could he still love someone like me? The answer to that was revealed to me after my first daughter was born. Any parent will tell you that the early years of a child’s life are filled with some pretty nasty stuff. Changing diapers is a horrible, horrible job. However, I never told my little girl that I would only love her after she figured out how to use the toilet. I loved her regardless of the mess and worked to help her mature. That’s the way the Father is with us. He loves us the way we are, but loves us too much to leave us wallowing in our own mess.
When my girls were learning how to walk, they constantly fell down. I didn’t respond to that with anger. In fact, I barely noticed it when they tumbled. I was too busy rejoicing over the steps they had taken to be upset with the fact that they had fallen. So it is with our heavenly Father. As we learn to walk with Him, we will stumble and fall. It is at that point that many of us believe that He is angry with us and couldn’t possibly love us anymore. He’s not angry. He picks us up, dusts us off, and says, “You were walking! Let’s try it again!” He longs for us to grow up and learn to keep in step with the Spirit, but when we fall his love doesn’t change in the slightest. When we fall He rejoices over the steps we’ve taken in the right direction and goes to work to help us with our next steps.
When you need a rock upon which to stand, remember God’s grace and His love, and find the strength and peace of God that sustains the human soul. These things you can count on.
