Stability in the Sea of Change

A few years ago, we sold our house and moved full-time into the ministry’s fifth wheel travel trailer.  Since then we have stayed in the trailer at more than 53 locations across 20 states; Mark stopped counting at some point.  Yet, with all of the movement and variation of where the trailer was parked, we always woke up in our own bed which gave us some sense of comfort and stability.

One of our daughters spent a few days and nights with us in Colorado and mused about life in the 5th wheel.  “It’s a little disconcerting to wake up in the same space, but walk out to something completely different.”  I responded quickly with, “There’s probably a blog in that,” so we discussed it a little further.  Here are some of the thoughts that have come out of that morning’s brief conversation.

• There can be peace in a place of consistency, even when everything around you is chaos.

• Sometimes, you need the familiar to step out and take risks.

• You have to be careful not to let the familiar override the new.

Stability and Comfort

I find the sameness of the interior comforting.  Actually, Mark and I both do.  In fact, when we first started working on the house renovations for the house that we subsequently purchased in South Texas, we stayed in the 5th wheel for a time.  We were months into the project and noticed that, to some degree, the trailer still felt more like home.

It was familiar.  We had figured out our routines and knew how the space functioned optimally.  The same is true in day to day life.  We get settled into a groove, or rut, and it’s just what we do.  We can do that in our Christian walk, too. Religious practices can become routine, mundane, and meaningless.  That’s why God never designed us to be religious individuals.  

He desires for us to be righteous, covered by the shed blood of Jesus, and brought into relationship with Him.  In such a relationship, there are definitely new discoveries and behaviors; some would even call pieces of this lifestyle, “taking risks”.  Risks that are bathed in faith, but nonetheless, risks.

Peace in a Place of Consistency

So, back to those initial observations:

1.  There can be peace in a place of consistency, even when everything around you is chaos.

The key is where we find our peace.  When we have a relationship with the Lord, Who is known as the Prince of Peace, then our inner peace doesn’t depend on what is happening around us.  We have chosen to anchor ourselves to the Prince of Peace.  He is constant.  Scripture says, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He becomes the consistency when we choose to rest in Him as He invites each of us to do.  

2.  Sometimes you need the familiar to step out and take risks. 

Because He is constant (a.k.a. Faithful and True), we can dare to do what Peter did.  “Lord, if it’s You, make it possible for me to do what You do.” (My paraphrase of Matthew 14:28).  It wasn’t in Peter’s own strength that he was willing to risk.  While his focus was fixed on Jesus, the circumstances were immaterial, even though they were more known and familiar.

3.  You have to be careful not to let the familiar override the new.

When Peter let the familiar override the new, everything changed in an instant, and not in a good way!  The consistency of Jesus’ authority and power permitted Peter to initiate the unexpected and risk stepping into the new that Jesus invited Him into.  What Jesus has for us will be met with temptations and distractions because we are in a spiritual war zone, but He continues to offer us the fullness and newness of life in Him.

As we grow, if we continue to stay in the familiar, it can be disconcerting when we see the unfamiliar.  Conversely, if one needs to reset and come away from chaos for a time, the familiar can be productive.

Adjusting, Re-orienting, and Risking

Largely, we have discovered that we are continually looking to God and re-orienting to His ways.  Some of the adjustments begin to feel familiar over time.  Others, because God’s ways are not ours, continue to challenge us and feel new, sometimes uncomfortably so.  We have chosen to follow in His ways and trust that He will use everything for His Glory regardless of if we are resting in the familiarity of Who He is, or we are taking risks, stepping out of the familiarity of our boat, or 5th wheel, yet again.

As we begin this new year, there are circumstances around us that seem chaotic.  In a particular time of distress, we asked some friends to pray over us.  After praying the gentleman said, “I can see that Jesus is in the boat with you.”

We are, once again, actively walking through hard things and re-adjusting to align ourselves more perfectly with God’s vision for us and for the ministry we lead.  I have a choice to make daily, just like you do.  Am I looking at the Stabilizer and Prince of Peace Who establishes peace beyond human comprehension, or am I focusing on the chaos of the storm that rages in the sea around me?

My prayer for all of us is that we continue to maintain a heart posture of, “Lord, if it’s You, make it possible for me to do what You do.” (Matthew 14:28, paraphrased)