—all things work together for to them that love God-— Romans 8:28
Unless you’re walking blindfolded through this world, you can’t help but notice that things are always changing, and usually not for the better. We live in a state of flux. Add to this the fact that these changes often come fast and unexpected, and you have the ideal setting for panic, even paranoia.
The frustrating thing about this is that, in most cases, these are things we didn’t choose, we can’t change, and can’t control. That doesn’t set too well with most of us. We like to dictate how we think things should be and direct how things go. When we can’t—– well you know what happens. Millions are miserable simply because things aren’t going as they planned. And it seems impossible to change their mind. They are stuck in a rut that will eventually become their grave if they don’t get out.
My dear friends, life is what it is. We can’t stop the changes. All we can do is to decide how we will respond. I love the poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox– “Tis the Set of the Sail”. The third stanza says:
“One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow.
‘Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.”
So how is it with you? You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails to catch the gales that propel you to your destination. As someone said,”Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out”. Do your best and then leave the rest to Him who is the Master of the sea. Nothing is beyond His control. There is no need to panic.
