17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[a] James 1:17
My wife recently opened up her e mail regarding the nearby Christian bookstore we often frequented over the years with our kids. When the letter begins with those words, " it is with profound sadness" you know it isn't going to be good news.
We found that this Christian bookstore was closing for good shortly after the new year. My mind went into reverse as I recalled the scenes of yesteryear when our kids were in grade school looking at the children's books in the children's area while mom and dad were browsing the music CD's , bible study materials and other edifying for the soul reading materials. Those scenes of yesteryear left me in a bit of a funk that caused me to suggest we go their that night to do some Christmas shopping.
We found that this Christian bookstore was closing for good shortly after the new year. My mind went into reverse as I recalled the scenes of yesteryear when our kids were in grade school looking at the children's books in the children's area while mom and dad were browsing the music CD's , bible study materials and other edifying for the soul reading materials. Those scenes of yesteryear left me in a bit of a funk that caused me to suggest we go their that night to do some Christmas shopping.
In my earlier blog I wrote about the emotional impact when I discovered that our families favorite eatery had closed and how I felt when the one place I could go where memories of those days could still be felt was no longer there, or the grocery store I remember pushing our shopping cart with our kids feet dangling through the foot holes as we did our weekly grocery shopping had closed.
I am reminded by this verse in James 1:17 as changes in my physical surroundings happen around me with these words, '17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. I am also reminded by these words from Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. In other words just as things change all around me with my favorite Christian bookstore closing, my grocery store and my favorite eatery locking its doors I can always count on my Lord Jesus no matter what happens to me in this life.
As someone who talks to the unemployed on a daily and weekly basis I can attest to this fact: a newly unemployed person who to work in one of those now shuttered stores will experience the different stages of grief as they try to make sense that the job they had gone to every day for several years was no longer there, the people they worked with and the sameness of work activity that gave them meaning would disappear leaving them to dwell on that existential question, 'what is my purpose in this life?' If you are one of those currently out of work there is hope for you. Consider this time as an opportunity to lean on God by reading the words from the 4 gospels of Christianity: the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John because it is within those books that the vary words of Jesus Christ will quiet your soul and help anchor you during this troubled time.
I am reminded by this verse in James 1:17 as changes in my physical surroundings happen around me with these words, '17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. I am also reminded by these words from Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. In other words just as things change all around me with my favorite Christian bookstore closing, my grocery store and my favorite eatery locking its doors I can always count on my Lord Jesus no matter what happens to me in this life.
As someone who talks to the unemployed on a daily and weekly basis I can attest to this fact: a newly unemployed person who to work in one of those now shuttered stores will experience the different stages of grief as they try to make sense that the job they had gone to every day for several years was no longer there, the people they worked with and the sameness of work activity that gave them meaning would disappear leaving them to dwell on that existential question, 'what is my purpose in this life?' If you are one of those currently out of work there is hope for you. Consider this time as an opportunity to lean on God by reading the words from the 4 gospels of Christianity: the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John because it is within those books that the vary words of Jesus Christ will quiet your soul and help anchor you during this troubled time.
The seas may be rough as you navigate the mighty storm of unemployment and at times you may question God's wisdom to allow you to suffer, but I assure you that in time you will come of this stormy episode stronger than when you first entered this tumultuous period. As you watch God open the next door in your working career, you will look back wondering what that stormy patch was all about.
Alas, as I reflect on the latest closing of our families favorite Christian bookstore I am reminded with the comforting words that no matter what changes around me Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment