My Solid Rock Just Turned into Sinking Sand
When life is going smoothly, and everything feels stable and safe, it’s easy to think logically and make unemotional decisions based on trustworthy facts. Our feet feel as if they are planted on a solid rock. However, when you hear the words, “you have cancer,” “I want a divorce,” “your child needs a transplant,” or “he’s gone,” the solid rock underneath your feet turns into sinking sand. You may be asking yourself, “is God in control,” because things sure feel out of control to me.
When everything we know changes, we think emotionally instead of logically. We start making decisions from survival mode, so we choose what makes us feel better and brings some stability into the chaos.
If you’re an emotional eater, like I am, you know exactly what I mean. You eat what helps you feel better whether it’s good for you or not because it’s hard to think logically and base decisions on facts when it seems the facts keep changing.
There’s a Storm Up Ahead
The people of Houston, Texas understand exactly what that feels like tonight. They’ve been hit by hurricanes before. In fact, Hurricane Ike caused over $30 billion in damage, a close third behind Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.
However, even with the National Hurricane Center warnings about a possible landfall, people were still caught in Hurricane Harvey’s path. Some weren’t aware of the looming danger, while others knew, but failed to take precautions. Either way, they all had their world turned upside down earlier this week and may be asking “is God still in control?”
The Solid Rock That Never Crumbles
The truth is, everyone faces a crisis at some point. It may not be the loss of everything you own in the blink of an eye, or the loss of a loved one unexpectedly, but crisis often does hit when we least expect it.
So how is it that some people appear completely in control when their world is so obviously out of control?
It’s faith.
Faith that a higher power than themselves is still in control.
I call him God.
God is in control even when everything around us changes. People let us down, our bodies fail us, and what we thought was true turns out to be a lie. Some things we can predict and others we can’t. Some things we can prepare for or prevent and others happen in spite of all our efforts to stop them.
But God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Whether our life is rock solid or crumbling around us, God is still in control.
Of course, it’s easy to believe that when things are calm and we can think logically. But, when a crisis overtakes us, we start thinking emotionally instead. And that’s when we feel the most out of control.
Logical Thinking
When we think logically, we want to know all the facts. I am definitely a logical thinker. Something as simple as which cruise to take turns into a full-blown fact-finding mission. I research all the options and put them into a spreadsheet outlining the many factors to be considered before making a decision. Then I give each feature a point-value. Finally, I total all the points, and voila – my choice is made. The one with the most points is the perfect cruise. Well, the logical choice anyway.
Emotional Thinking
When we think emotionally, we want to know the impact of our decision on us and others. Here’s where the dilemma comes in. I am definitely an emotional thinker as well. Sometimes, in a highly emotional situation, we forget facts altogether. We make decisions based on what seems safe. Strong emotions such as fear, betrayal, and grief are world-class champions at causing us to lose sight of all logic and make poor decisions.
When Logic and Emotions Collide
It’s when logic and emotions collide, that we realize we aren’t in control of anything. If we were, my sister and father would still be here with me, I’d be traveling the world rather than working, and the people of Houston would be safe in their homes tonight. But, even when we can’t control things, we can at least trust the one who can.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
The Solid Rock – Edward Mote (1834)
If you’re in need of a little stability today:
- Find some encouraging, uplifting music to calm your emotional soul on the God Speaks Through Music page or the Sadness to Joy YouTube page
- Find some inspirational words to remind you that God really is trustworthy in the midst of our crisis God Speaks Through His Word page, on the Hope & Encouragement page or on Facebook on the Sadness to Joy page.
- Learn more about how to trust God on the Bible Study & Scripture page
What do you trust in when the solid rock you thought you were standing on turns into sinking sand?
