Dear Church Family,
For the foreseeable future I plan to write on a variety of issues. I hope they will grow you in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That has been my theme in ministry for years and will continue to be.
During the three months (I actually wrote ‘years’ and have changed it) of the pandemic you may have felt like you were in a mental fog at times. Now what the social unrest in our country, we wonder even more what in the world is going on. Being in a fog makes us feel weak, mentally suspect and emotionally vulnerable. Our human pride starts to rises up and we want to be in control!
In our beautiful mountains it is common to wake up unable to see those lofty peaks due to fog. The sun may burn the low clouds away in a few minutes or it might be closer to noon before visibility improves. Every once in a while, we will have a day where the gloom remains all day. That is what life can seem like during a pandemic.
A writer by the name of Andrea observes, “Each of us is making our way through the fog right now. We don’t know if we’re walking toward a cliff or toward a ladder. Politics has exchanged truth for sound bites. Protests have erupted in our cities and a pandemic haunts our daily lives. So we cling to our tribal divisions for answers and distrust anyone outside our circle of visibility.”
These profound words reflect an artistic mind that paints an accurate picture of what resembles life even when there is no crisis consuming us. Outside of the grace of God, we are wondering aimlessly. The Bible does give us the BIG PICTURE of life. We must be ever mindful that in Christ the victory is ours! That fact provides long-term hope for us. Yet sometimes we just need something to help us take little steps. God’s Word does that as well Psalm 119:105 says it is “a lamp to my feet.” Just as our Heavenly Father gives us daily bread, so the Bible is sufficient to provide what we need to make it through each day – whether it is foggy or there is not a cloud in the sky.
I am reminded of going through Driver’s Ed years ago and being told by the instructor how to drive in the fog that would roll in from the Chesapeake Bay. He told lead-footed teenage boys to slow down. Who wants to drive slowly? Then he shocked us by telling us not to put on our high beams. The extra light would actually serve to make visibility worse. To this day whenever I have to drive in fog I follow what he taught.
Andrea notes the Bible is, “Not a floodlight for the entire road, but a path through the fog of our circumstances. It reminds us that the only way forward is by lowering our eyes in humility and taking heed to our steps, staying close to the light of God’s word as we make our way gently through the darkness. In the slowing down and paying attention, we can find a better way through than anger, and a wisdom that holds us up better than pride.”
God will send fog into our lives to grow us in dependence on Him.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin