Propped Up

In this last year I have struggled with being dizzy and light headed. I don't really know why. Neither do the Doctors. There are far more questions than answers. But, one thing I do know is that when I am feeling rough, before I arise to walk anywhere, I look at what is around that I can hold on to, lean against or sit on should the light headed feelings knock me down. Now, I am no petite little thing so whatever I spot to lean against must be secure and heavy and strong or there will be a really embarrassing, ugly and loud fall. It really matters what I lean on.

You are no different. Even if you are more sure footed, younger, healthier and more agile than I, there will come times when you will need something secure to lean against. King Solomon, said to be the wisest King of Israel, had some advice about the leaning thing. At surface level, it makes no sense. He tells us not to lean on what we understand. Our culture today is all about understanding ...learning... knowledge. An education and experience are sought after in order to find success. Yet, Solomon dares to say that we should not depend upon what we have come to understand. Why? Because we understand only through the finite wisdom of humanity and that is nothing short of pathetic compared to the infinite wisdom of God.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

Don't depend on your own understanding.

Seek His will in all you do, 

and He will show you which path to take."

Proverbs 3:5-6

At my ripe semi old age, I know that family life is the most wonderful and yet the most difficult thing that we encounter on earth. We have to blend totally different backgrounds and personalities; different beliefs and possibly different values; different cultures and different DNA to make a union. As if that is hard enough, we then add to the mix even more personalities and DNA and challenges when we add children to this already challenging situation. Of all things on this earth, humans are likely the most difficult to understand. Just too many variables involved! Our "understanding" is totally based on our own experiences and those are not the same experiences that our other family members have acquired. If we depend on our own understanding in working through the challenges of family life, we are sinking before we even leave the harbor!

So what do we do? We learn to trust the God of the Bible. We can find Him there... at least a fraction of Him- in the pages of scripture. We can discover the truth that Jesus proclaimed throughout His ministry - that the most important thing we need to do is to Love God and Love Others.  And we can follow the way of love in order to find the right path to take to create the home in which God intends for your children to grow. 

Seldom will our reaction to grumpiness and fatigue and messes and disobedience and ugly words and unmet needs be LOVE. That is not how our understanding works. Our understanding is more one of quid pro quo. God's understanding is that unless you give love you cannot ever be equipped to receive it. The giving comes first and it never stops, even when it isn't returned. 

As you walk through the rest of this week, would you consider not depending on what makes sense to you in your marriage or with your children or at your job, but rather lean on something that will not budge, EVER? Will you lean on the love of a faithful God and depend on Him to help you lean harder when the path gets more difficult? 

I hope to see you at your best and at your worst, propped up on the One who will not fail you or let you fall as long as you lean into Him.