Translating a World on the Edge

One definition of the word “situation” is the way in which something is placed in relation to its surroundings. But often, when people talk about being in a situation, they usually mean that something important has gone bad in some way.

Not every day is a good day. We each have our personal situations. Some are social situations in which we don’t have enough confidence in ourselves. Maybe we are shy about conversing with others, afraid someone might be too critical of us.

Maybe our situation is that we’ve had a financial fall-out, and don’t know how to fix it.

Maybe there’s a person we love, who doesn’t seem to love us. Or maybe we have an addiction, such as drugs or alcohol.

For many, there’s the situation of betrayal by a friend, or spouse.

Or it could be that we’re lonely, or sick, or even dying.

Especially in the turbulence of today, we are confronting so many situations that can harm us! Some are self-imposed, because all of us have choices, and often we choose wrongly. Some are thrust upon us through no fault of our own, and we feel helpless for ourselves, our friends, our families, and our country.

So how do we handle these harmful situations? Can we do it on our own?

Well, the answer to that is that we don’t have to do it on our own. Not if we have God as our partner in life. Not if we turn to him in all those situations listed above and more. Even if they are situations we caused ourselves. God will help us through, if only we ask him.

Will our problems be solved every time in the way we want them to be solved? The answer is not always.

But if God is involved, if we give our situation to Him, if we let Him carry us, we can have peace, trusting that good will come from it in a way we may not anticipate.

I honestly do not know what I would do if I did not have God to turn to, and I’m sure many of you feel the same.

You’re my safe place, my hideaway
You’re my anchor, my saving grace
You’re my constant, my steadiness
You’re my shelter, my oxygen

I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know You
Thank God I do

I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know You
I’d probably fall off the edge
I don’t know where I’d go if You ever let go
So keep me held in Your hands
I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know You
Thank God I do

Each of us have gifts, God-given talents. The gifts of some may seem more apparent than others. For example, in those who appear on our televisions, in our movie theatres, on our radios—the so-called “stars.” But the value to God of each individual’s gift is the same, because God does not discriminate.

Early on, when I lived in Birmingham, my neighbor and I shared a babysitter, an older woman we’d met at a nearby Garden Nursery. Her name was Mrs. Hays. Anything she put into the ground, grew. There wasn’t a plant or flower or tree she didn’t seem to completely understand. She knew what each needed to flourish. And she handled our young children the same way. Whenever she came, they did indeed flourish. The gift she gave our children, and my neighbor and I as mothers, cannot be measured. Mrs. Hays wasn’t on the big screen, or the radio, or newspaper, but she made a lasting imprint on four young children. She had a gift and quietly used it. No fanfare, just solid intention driven by a love for all things growing.

Sometimes those—not all, but some–in the spotlight seem to want only that—-the spotlight. Is this the purpose of their gift?

What would happen in our world if everyone had a common purpose for the use of their gifts? What if every singer used his/her voice to further the better instincts of a human being rather that the basest instincts? What if every actor, artist, writer, politician, or talk-show host used his/her talent to expose the true reason God made man?

Of course, it wouldn’t take away their, or our, fallen nature; we’d still have one. We’d still have our pet addictions, our meanness, our selfishness, our frequent disregard for others.

Still, a true and correct mindset behind use of our God-given gifts might remind each of us that we do have the ability to strive for higher things. And sometimes a reminder is all it takes to change.

None of us like controlling people. None of us like to be under the thumb of another, with their weighty opinions imposed upon us. None of us like to be ridiculed for what we believe, and forced to do what we don’t believe.

And we shouldn’t have to put up with it. We live in a country founded on our personal freedoms. We are not told what to do by some king and his council–are we?

Well. . .hmmmm.  Let’s take a look at controlling people

Controlling people are self-centered and immature. They think they are bigger than they are. They don’t like your independence, only theirs, so they’re likely to make sure you don’t rule yourself.

How? They take away your choices, usually through manipulative propaganda, and if that doesn’t work as well as they would like, they enforce laws through some kingly, or executive, power they perceive they have been given.

But . . . . to take away a man’s freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he were a puppet and not a person.” — Madeleine L’Engle

We are not puppets in our personal relationships. Neither are we puppets  to be used by those in control of our government. Yet, we are. And people are angry.

Not only at our president, but political parties. As controllers, they are also self-centered and immature, believing they are bigger than they are. Besides that, they may be too filled with avarice and pride to use typical common sense.  Their words are used to tickle ears, to get the vote. But are they sincere? Or are they only using huge segments of the population to get what they want for themselves.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.–2 Timothy 4:3

We need people, rich or poor, with guts and gumption enough to stand up for the sound doctrine on which our nation was built. Because the major issues we face today have not been soundly dealt with.

Now, it is our turn to decide. We can restore America. We can get rid of the pompous King Kongs already in our lives, and in our government who say one thing to secure a vote from others, but do something entirely different for themselves.

Nobody crowned them Kings, or Queens, of anything.