Spiritual Shock Absorbers
One of our family vehicles is a 1997 Chevy Astro van. It goes without saying, that the shocks and springs in this vehicle are not what they used to be. I have to be careful where I drive if I do not want the unpleasant experience of constant rattling, or worse yet, jarring my coffee loose from the cup holder and all over the floor. My preference is to avoid the roads pockmarked with bumps and potholes. However, traveling that same road in a car that has good shock absorbers is an entirely different experienc
e. I may still feel the bumps, but they do not rattle me to the bone, or knock things loose inside the vehicle.
Being in pastoral ministry for nearly a quarter century there are numerous occasions when I have felt the blunt and unsettling jolt of some negative circumstance or the sting of a bitter disappointment. I have seen people I love overcome by a besetting sin. I have lost close personal friends to physical and spiritual tragedy. On September 11, 2001 the whole world was shocked by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Within one month of that event two of my Pastor friends, both young men, went home to be with the Lord. One in an auto accident and the other by drowning. Also within that month, our next door neighbour’s six year old daughter contracted a serious blood disease and died within 24 hours. She was our oldest daughter’s closest friend.
We are caught off guard by shocking circumstances and trials. We all face them, and while we would much rather take the smooth road, the fact remains that our path of following Christ is often beset with difficulties and unpleasant situations that threaten to derail us spiritually. Some will succumb to the pressure and simply find another road, others will overreact and end up in the ditch, but many will continue moving forward absorbing the jolt of each difficulty while becoming more like Christ. What makes the difference?
The Biblical answer to that question can be found in I Corinthians 13. Here is the great love chapter in all the Bible. In the last verse of the chapter Paul identifies three enduring spiritual values. He says “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.“ I Cor. 13:13. We should incorporate these values as attitudes in our daily lives. Over time they will serve as spiritual shock absorbers. Let’s take a moment to consider how each of these attitudes will help us remain stable, focused, and on course when things around us are unsettling.
FAITH
The Bible tells us that the absence of faith is sin Rom. 14:23. If the difficulties caused by circumstances, things, or other people lead us to take our eyes off of Jesus we have sinned against God and it will not be long until we deviate from God’s will in our lives.
HOPE
The word hope speaks of the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. Paul refers to it as a “blessed hope” in Titus 2:13. Why would we allow the jarring of earthly events and human failures to rob us of our joy when we have a secure and eternal home awaiting us in heaven?
LOVE
Paul said charity or love is the greatest of these three. This love was first demonstrated to us when God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place for the sin which separated us from God. The Bible says that we as believers now “love Him, because He first loved us” I John 4:19. The application of this value is of great importance in the trials of life. There is no circumstance of life that is powerful enough to separate us from the love of Christ Romans 8:38-39.
In the context of I Cor 13 we learn that neither human effort, nor spiritual giftedness will sustain us in all the turmoil and confusion that life can bring. Faith, hope and love are enduring and abiding values that will make a difference. Have you installed your spiritual shock absorbers?
