Rooted beyond circumstances

“My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:2

I resonated with a quote I recently heard from John Ortberg that “‘Circumstances being okay’ is not an adequate foundation upon which to live… I must find another place to stand.”

I’m learning that living into the fullness of the Gospel—the Good News of Jesus Christ— invites me to a soul shift in how I embrace and navigate any given day. This shift includes moving away from anchoring myself in situational happiness and toward anchoring myself in Christ alone. The former leaves me being tossed and turned among the waves of highs and lows, while the latter offers a sacred steadiness rooted in the ultimately unshakeable Kingdom of God. The joys and sorrows will still come, yes, but there’s a grounding deep in my soul that withstands all of it.

And by “soul shift” I mean not just a change in how I think about what anchors me (though that is important, too), but a full embrace and posture that receives and surrenders everything I face and feel, stewarding it all for the furthering of the Kingdom of God coming on earth as it is in heaven.

Ultimately, this shift leads to my life becoming less about chasing happiness and more about embracing all that is eternally meaningful. And therein lies the paradox: that it is in losing our lives for His sake that we find them.

~em

Social media photo credit: Simon Wilkes on Unsplash