Thursday, February 01, 2007

Security Blanket

I had a funny thing happen to me at work today... my chair broke. Now to anyone else this would be a minor inconvenience in their day, but to me - believe it or not - it was huge. That chair had been my chair for over 11 years; that chair was comfortable for me. It was scuffed and worn in in all the right places, and perfectly contoured to my body after years of use. It was something familiar and unchanging in my world -- a welcome "security blanket" from the day to day ups and downs, trials and chaos that consumed my day.

As I sorted through other unused chairs in our office, and tried to find one that had even a hint of that familiarity that had stripped away from me, I had to chuckle at the ridiculousness of my feelings. In a world where so much tragedy and heartache loom, my chair agony seemed so insignficant in the grand-scheme of things. But it still felt huge to me.

It got me thinking about where I place my trust and security. Do I really place all my faith and hope in an office chair? No, obviously not. But do I tend to rely on earthly things for that daily comfort and sense of calm? Yes, I believe I do. And there in lies my problem.

As a Christian I am taught to put my hope, trust and security in Jesus - the Author and Finisher of my faith. I know this in theory, but it's often hard to put this into practice. My chair fiasco today reminded me of how important it is not to put all my hope in the things the world has to offer for they will fade (or break!). Rather I need to put my hope in Him. The Lord is the only truly faithful and steadfast thing I can count on in a world out of control. He is my Rock and my Salvation. He is my Comforter and Provider. He is rest for my weary soul.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

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