You were made to rise above it all!
This world is full of turmoil! It’s almost impossible to miss it. Whether it’s the political arena, the economy, the weather, or even the entertainment world, there is so much turmoil. And it affects us. Too many people around us magnify the turmoil. People in our families wrestle with it. In the work world, there were layoffs, then “The Great Resignation”. For a long time, it seemed like there weren’t enough jobs, now most businesses can’t find enough people to work. And that means I can’t go out to eat without waiting 30 minutes for wait staff (only 1 or 2 people) to bring me some silverware. And don’t even watch the news. Turmoil. Chaos. Confusion. Darkness. It feels like we wake up each day to try to swim in a turbulent ocean. But we weren’t made to swim in this!! We were made to Rise Above it!
You only have to read the first 2 verses of the Bible to see that this world began with chaos. “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep…” It was empty and dark. Darkness carries the connotation of misery, destruction, and death. Turmoil. But the rest of the verse reveals God’s place for us. “…and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” The Spirit of God was hovering over the darkness. The Spirit of God rises above the turmoil and chaos.
We were not made to swim in all this mayhem. That’s why it weighs us down emotionally and spiritually. Day after day we are bombarded with negative messages, bad news, and difficult situations. It’s hard enough to make a better life for us and our families, but we must do it surrounded by all this darkness. It seems like even when there is a glimmer of light – someone does something good like forgive SOME student loan debt – there is an uproar of negatively about it. That’s how the world is. It began with darkness and chaos. But God rises above it! You see in the Word of God that Jesus Christ walked on the water and silenced the storm. Our creator invites us to do the same. God empowers us to rise above all this darkness by being filled with His Spirit.
The ELL Word 