Steady Yourself

Remember when you played Pin the Tail on the Donkey or tried to hit a piñata hanging from a tree?  Someone would place a blindfold over your eyes, spin you around until you were dizzy, and then send you on your way to swing at the piñata or find the donkey poster taped to a wall.  What fun it was to watch each other try and steady ourselves, find our bearings, and then inevitably head off in the wrong direction.  We would all call out directions and laugh along with each other when the blindfold was removed and the game contestants discovered how far off target they were. Well, we’re grownups now and we don’t usually play games like these anymore but, we can feel just as unsteady and uncertain as we did as children playing Pin The Tail on the Donkey when life leaves us reeling in the wake of unwanted change.

When you’re dizzy you will grab hold of anything to keep your balance—won’t you? But reacting that way to life’s challenges can result in making some very bad choices. I’ll bet you’ve seen this happen in what we call a rebound or bounce-back relationship. Immediately after a divorce or the end of a love relationship, a friend or loved one rushes into a new relationship that ultimately makes matters worse and leaves them with even more heartache, trouble and regret. It’s also why experts advise people suffering the loss of a spouse to refrain from making major decisions for at least a year after their loved one has died.

So what can you do—right now–when you’ve been sent into a tailspin by a sudden financial, health or relationship crisis?

First, cry out to Jesus and grab hold of Him! He is there, strong and eager to help you steady yourself.  Follow the advice of the writer of Psalm 121 who says, “I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. He won’t let you stumble… The Message.

Then trust Him. He loves you with an everlasting love and His will is to give you hope and a future. As you trust Him and delight in Him, the desires of your heart will be shaped to conform to His very best for you. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future… Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 37:4

When things are not as you hoped they would be, take a breath, steady yourself and believe that better days are coming.

Click the link below and listen to the song—Cry Out To Jesus—by Third Day.