Mud

Extremes

Last week, we experienced what was for us here in north central Arkansas, extremely cold weather. But, this week the temperatures have risen and the rain has fallen. The combination of the thawing ground and the saturating rainfall have caused our soil to become a muddy mess. Of course some projects (construction, etc) are impossible with these circumstances. And some others (tending livestock) are made much more difficult. But, this is the natural consequence of this type of weather and the normal experience this time of year.

As I wrote last week, we can find ourselves going from one set of complaints to another as our situation changes. What is amazing is just how quickly we can convince ourselves that we are doomed to our current circumstances. One constant that each of us should remember is that things will change.

Temporal Engagement

With all of the muddy conditions many folks have been dealing with vehicles and equipment getting stuck. Sometimes we can feel like we are stuck in a never ending loop or cycles of events, behaviors, or even decisions that we wish would change. But whether we are enduring a challenging season in our lives or enjoying a successful peak in our lives the best thing we can do is to not miss it. In these hard and difficult times, the Lord has blessings and lessons for us to learn that will allow us to be more useful for His glory and more blessed for our own good as well as others (2 Corinthians 1:3-11). In pleasant and fruitful seasons, our gracious God has provided for us and these blessings are best experienced through us purposefully engaging in these precious moments.

However, one way to gain the proper perspective that will cause us to appreciate these fast and fleeting moments is our Biblical understanding of eternity. We are able to be fully present in both the pain and pleasure of this life because as believers we understand that eternity awaits us. The world, for the most part, is caught in one of two extremes. Either they are battling to preserve their youth and maximize their health because this is all there is. Or they are seeking to seize the day in a grand effort to not miss out on anything but without any real purpose or meaning. In either case, neither the present nor the future are served well.

Everlasting Life

Jesus told the disciples that He came to give us abundant life. And the Scripture continually points to the Christian hope of everlasting life (John 10:10). But this is not just more time but an ever increasing experience of our great God, who is life. We will always experience this fullness of life through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who is life (John 14:6). Both our possession and experience of genuine life is in Christ (1 John 5:10-12). The promise of the new covenant gospel extending even from the Old Testament period was that God would take us up from the miry mud and place us on the solid rock of the Lord Jesus Christ (Psalm 40:2)!

So let me encourage you to flee the sloppy, muddy muck of temporal, fleeting passions and enticing sinful pleasures and go to the rock of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4) in full faith and confidence in the power and promises of God that are for us in Jesus Christ our Lord!

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