By: Cris Corzine-McCloskey

There is nothing like some intense Southern Illinois weather to remind us we are not the biggest thing on this planet. In just a few days of rain some of our roads were under water and many people found their homes flooded. I heard some had to be evacuated by boat, leaving their homes and precious memories submerged under the flood waters. My heart goes out to those in the community impacted by the storms. It’s all made me think of how truly vulnerable our lives are. We do all we can to protect ourselves and in one weekend of bad weather, dreams are washed away.

I noticed when Jesus sent his disciples out on their first mission trip he gave them orders to bring nothing with them, no money, no change of clothes, nothing (Luke 10:4). I did not have to ponder that for long before I realized that Jesus was teaching them to trust God. As the saying goes, you don’t know that God is all you need until God is all you have. When we have nothing, we tend to trust him for everything. But what happens when you add a little bit of ‘stuff’ to the mix?

I came to the faith after losing everything, including my freedom, and had to trust him for my safety and the smallest of comforts. My trust flowed like a river, and my faith grew exponentially. However, the more ‘stuff’ I have acquired (home, career, husband, family), the more anxious I have become. Now I have stuff I love and want to protect. But is it truly mine?

The Bible says in Psalm 24:1 that “The earth and everything in it, the world and it’s inhabitants, belong to the Lord.” That means all the stuff I’m worried about losing don’t really belong to me anyhow. They belong to Him. He is gracious enough to loan them to me, because He loves me so much. However, I don’t believe He ever wants the things He loans us, including family, getting in the way of our relationship with Him. Restated, if I am more worried about keeping my possessions and family safe than I am about living in the love of the one who gave these things, I have created an idol, and I am worshiping a creation rather than the creator.

So, if everything is on loan, what does belong to me? I think the only things we truly own are our free will, trust, and attitudes. With our free will we choose what we will bow down to, the Lord or the world, and our trust and attitude determine how much we will enjoy the experience of this thing called life. For example, when the flood waters come, does it stop me from trusting God, and do I blame Him for the loss, or do I trust Him, and run to Him for comfort?

At the end of it all we will exit this ride called life with one of two experiences. We either cling to everything and refuse to trust, or we live with open hands and trust the giver of life. I think that makes the difference of going in to eternity feeling like you are getting off the Screaming Eagle or the exiting the Lazy River.

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