Evergreen Park Cub Scout Pack 3644, Den 6. I am on the right, front row.
“When you accept the fact that sometimes seasons are dry and time are hard and that God is in control of both, you will discover a sense of divine refuge, because the hope is in God and not in yourself.”- Charles Swindoll
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”- Proverbs 19:21
- The principal of Northeast Elementary School (Evergreen Park, IL) calls the PTA meeting to order. Cub Scout Pack 3644, Den 6 stands at attention in the back of the auditorium/gymnasium. Selected as the Caller because of the one strong muscle in my body, my larynx, I begin the commands: (1) Color guards attention. (2) Color guards advance. (3) Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. (4) Post the colors. (5) Color guards dismissed.
- With Den 6’s mission accomplished, I returned to Mrs. Smalley’s third grade classroom to complete my school day.
While resplendent in my full Cub Scout uniform, crisply calling out commands conferred a sense of authority and control. However, that sense of authority and control only provided temporary relief from the persistent onslaught of bullying and sarcastic references to my physical stature. In Fearless, author Max Lucado dissects the destructive nature of fear. Hence, fear:
- corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness
- unleashes a swarm of anger-stirring doubts
- turns us into control freaks
- creates a form of spiritual amnesia
- makes safety our god
Therefore, Max observes, when God fails to meet our expectations, we spin endlessly in a tornado of questions. Consequently, our faith needs an anchor to counterbalance life’s fury of flying fists. Specifically, that anchor consists of a deep-seated, stabilizing belief in God’s sovereignty. As Twila Paris sings, “God is in control. We will choose to remember and never be shaken. There is no power above or beside Him.”
As a result, bouncing back requires two things. First of all, we must express a willingness to let go of the past. Finally, our hearts need to be open to the new thing God offers. In addition, as Pastor Lucado encourages, keep calm and carry on.
In conclusion, John Ortberg asks us to consider what it would mean for us to ‘wake up in Jesus’ name’. Hence, John offers the following questions to ponder:
“If Jesus held unheralded sway when the alarm clock goes off, what kind of thoughts would pass through the mind? Would our heads be filled with anxieties about today and regrets about yesterday? Or would our first thoughts be the assurance as to who holds the day and who holds us?”
