Stable Living in an Unstable World

Colossians 1:17

“He [Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Jesus is the gravity of my spiritual universe! Thank God he does indeed hold all things together.

Reflect on the marvel of gravity. Things stay put, mostly. Furniture remains on the floor and dropped things reliably fall towards the ground. It may not seem like much, but we depend on this constancy to live. Thank you gravity!

Jesus has this same effect on my inner world. The cosmic dimensions of his love and power produce a gravity-like stability in me. That is why I seek to put him first in my diary, my decisions, my interactions and my aspirations. Jesus holds things together. (Col. 1:15-20)

The forces affecting my heart and mind can be volatile and nasty. I can “lay down” a worry or an angry thought and a few moments later it is free floating in my mind again. The tide of my emotions can rise and fall as if 25 moons pull on the oceans of my soul. And achieving life balance is as improbable as tight-rope walking in orbit.

Left to itself, my inner world operates like an alien planet. But when Jesus, my “Morning Star”, defines the orbit and destiny of my life, things in me settle. Being a disciple of Jesus changes me. This is mystery and a marvel.

I don’t pretend to understand it all. Einstein’s explanation of gravity as the curvature of space-time exhausts my brain. But I am a big user of gravity nonetheless. Similarly, Paul’s portrait of a cosmic Jesus leaves me breathless and bewildered. But it doesn’t stop me from experiencing his grace. More understanding will not stabilise your inner world, only trust will do that.

Here are fifteen ways of letting Jesus “hold things together” in your life:

1. Talk to him often in prayer
2. Read the gospels each year
3. Learn and retell stories from his life
4. Memorise his words
5. Obey his words
6. Trust in him
7. Thank him at the end of the day
8. Ask him for advice and help
9. Invite his forgiveness
10. Treat him like a friend
11. Treat him like a judge
12. Tell others about him
13. Expect him to surprise you
14. Understand he holds you, you don’t hold him
15. Expect to meet him face to face one day

Questions

• What is the hardest part of your life to hold together?
• Have you experienced Jesus help holding your life together? How?
• Please leave a comment

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