Living Unshakably

Is "unshakably" even a word?

Yep!  I just checked the Free Online Dictionary and according to them it means "incapable of being shaken".  But we do get shaken sometimes in this world don't we?  Like when we all heard of the horrible and tragic shooting in the theater in Colorado.  We hear things like that and watch the news coverage and we are shaken.

Some of the cinemas in our area are showing free Summer movies during June and July.  The kids and I were in the theater yesterday watching Rio.  I guess every other parent in Lee County Florida had the same idea, because the theaters were full.  Bentley, JennaBeth and I sat on the very first row.  About half way through the movie, I looked over and realized we were sitting on the far left of the theater on the front row right next to the Exit door.  I had a little bit of a panic attack as I recalled in my mind the shooting in Colorado and much of the news coverage.  It didn't last long, but it happened nonetheless.

There are times when we are shaken.

What calmed me down was remembering something from a book I'm currently reading.  The book is GlobeQuake by Wallace Henley and the passage that came to my mind was this one:

"The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven.  (Psalm 11:4)  Here are stability and confidence!  The unshakable kingdom...Its strength is in the Person enthroned in the 'holy temple'.  He is immovable and unchangeable not because He doesn't like change, but because He doesn't need it.  At the core of all reality, and in the midst of the most catastrophic upheavals, there is One who is perfect and complete, dwelling in a temple no magnitude of quake can topple, on a throne from which He cannot be removed by any force or power."

In another place, a few pages from the above passage, Henley says this:

"Foundations are no stronger than the soil in which they are embedded.  God Himself is the rock in which the foundations of faith are laid.  'I, the LORD, do not change', He says (Malachi 3:6)...'The LORD is my rock!' shouts the psalmist (Psalm 18:2).  If the base on which the foundation rests is unshifting, then the foundation is unshakable, and the structure rising from it is stable."

What are you resting on?

Although we are rattled a bit by so many things in this world, we can learn to live unshakably.  We've just got to trust in the Rock of Jesus Christ and make sure our foundation of faith is laid upon Him! He is faithful and unchanging and things like the shooting in Colorado do not take Him by surprise.

Something that always helps me to regain my focus in this area when I get a little "fuzzy sighted" is to count my blessings so to speak - to remember all the ways God has sustained me and been faithful to me.  And to praise Him for these ways He graces me.  One way I'm doing that this week is by praying and praising God for our group of youth and counselors who are experiencing Youth Camp in Black Mountain, N.C.  Mike and Cecily are part of that group from our church.

They are having an amazing time from all reports so far.  The kids are hearing God's Word spoken over them.  Mike reports that the leader preaching is speaking some pretty profound truths and the kids are soaking it up!  I'm so thankful.  One of my prayers for them this week is that hearing God's Word and knowing Him will become the joy and delight of their hearts above anything else in this sometimes shaking world.

Another exciting thing that has happened so far is this:

That is Mike, Jenna Beth and Cecily.  No, our little JennaBeth who is three didn't miraculously transform over night.  That is the young lady, who Mike had in his family group several years ago at camp.  He was struck back then by her sweet spirit and heart for God that we named our JennaBeth after her!  I thought it would be really neat to have this picture to show our little JennaBeth.

Blessings,
Jennifer