Flex or Flux?

My older son and I were texting each other a few mornings ago and as he lives in Ft. Worth and I live in NE Nevada, the comments turned to the weather. On this particular day, Ft. Worth was enduring a very chilly 25 degrees at noon while Elko was at 36 degrees and climbing—not the norm. (FB posts from the Midwest that day reported ice, snow and school closings).

He wrote something to the effect that it seemed the general idea of specific seasons he’d been taught in school as a kid no longer had any validity. I replied with a J that Ft Worth still had a longer growing season than Elko but I had to agree with him in principle.

When I was a youngster, we still did see definite seasons the dates of which we could depend upon. But the atmosphere of planet Earth has changed immensely since those days, and if we take time to think about it, it may seem disconcerting.

The fact that our world is in a constant of flux or flex—physically, politically and spiritually when most of us have looked at life on planet Earth as a stable entity, can be downright scary.

I looked up “flex” and “flux” in my fifty-plus year-old dictionary and it seems the meanings of these two words haven’t changed between then and now. The American College Dictionary from 1962 states that flex means to bend and flux means continuous change so both of these words can fit our topic.

Life's frightening moments are the times we need to get our focus back on God and away from our circumstances. He is ALWAYS there and He NEVER changes. He puts our feet on bedrock so we have a firm foundation in Him. He’s our shield and He shelters us with His widespread wings of refuge.

His security is always available whether the storms we are enduring are atmospheric or emotional, physical or spiritual. In other words, don't worry. Enjoy throwing snowballs if you live in Kentucky and have fun playing golf if you live in Nevada.

Welcome!

It’s such a great feeling to go to a family member’s home or that of a good friend’s and as you ring the doorbell or knock on the door, you are welcomed with a hug and urged, “Come on in.”

You are directed to a comfortable place to sit, probably given a hot drink or a cold one, depending on the weather, and you pick up where you left off the last time you visited. You are comfortable, feeling “at home. You belong here at this spot, at this time. You are welcomed.

I just finished reading Luke 9 :10-17 where the Twelve have returned to report to Jesus what they had experienced after He had sent them out, empowered  to heal and preach the Good News. He led them to a quiet place in the hills above Bethsaida to debrief further.

Somehow the crowds discovered where He was and converged on Jesus and His disciples. Here is what I had never before noticed in this particular Gospel passage.

Luke say, “He welcomed them.” (meaning this uninvited crowd of people). Jesus didn’t say, “I’m busy here with My men. Come back tomorrow.” He must have told them to sit down and get comfortable for Luke writes that Jesus then taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed all those who were sick.

The remainder of the passage tells of the miracle of feeding 5000 men plus their wives and children using five loaves and two fishes. But you can read that awesome story for yourself.

I love the welcoming compassion I see in Jesus in Luke’s account. Jesus still welcomes us today. When someone decides to surrender their life to Christ, He welcomes them into His family. When someone passes through death’s door who belongs to Christ, He welcomes them to their new home in heaven.

This is especially meaningful to me and others who have lost friends and family members. Three dear brothers in Christ have recently taken up new homes in heaven and I love the idea of Jesus welcoming each of His boys into that mansion He had ready for them (see John 14:2)

What an awesome Lord we serve, who never tires of welcoming His children home.