Stable
by Jill Perna
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79
Growing up my life felt unstable. We moved more times than I am able to recall. Naturally, each move brought a sense of new beginnings but whatever peace I felt was fleeting, temporary, and provisional. Misery, however, was carefully packaged and carried away with me like a precious family heirloom. It seemed permanent, fixed, and worst of all, stable. Anyone who has lived in misery, especially for prolonged periods of time, starts to realize its effects. It’s like a disease that takes root and becomes all consuming. You start out only sick but soon after you are struggling to survive. There is no hope, there is no peace. Eventually, you are dead.
BUT … what if there was a way out? What if peace and joy could be realized once again in a new beginning, one that never faded? What if the smiles on others would one day mark my face? What if there was more than this for me? These questions called out from a place I did not know, a place that felt so out of reach, yet, concurrently, desperately close. That place was and is today, Jesus Christ. In His gentle compassion, He carries us from death into life so that we may experience a new beginning that lasts for all eternity! He illuminates our path so we may walk boldly and confidently, and the result is a peace in this life that transcends all understanding. In Christ we have a firm foundation, a stable dwelling in which darkness and misery has no room.
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79
Growing up my life felt unstable. We moved more times than I am able to recall. Naturally, each move brought a sense of new beginnings but whatever peace I felt was fleeting, temporary, and provisional. Misery, however, was carefully packaged and carried away with me like a precious family heirloom. It seemed permanent, fixed, and worst of all, stable. Anyone who has lived in misery, especially for prolonged periods of time, starts to realize its effects. It’s like a disease that takes root and becomes all consuming. You start out only sick but soon after you are struggling to survive. There is no hope, there is no peace. Eventually, you are dead.
BUT … what if there was a way out? What if peace and joy could be realized once again in a new beginning, one that never faded? What if the smiles on others would one day mark my face? What if there was more than this for me? These questions called out from a place I did not know, a place that felt so out of reach, yet, concurrently, desperately close. That place was and is today, Jesus Christ. In His gentle compassion, He carries us from death into life so that we may experience a new beginning that lasts for all eternity! He illuminates our path so we may walk boldly and confidently, and the result is a peace in this life that transcends all understanding. In Christ we have a firm foundation, a stable dwelling in which darkness and misery has no room.
Dear Lord, I thank You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, Your gift of grace given to us that we may be resurrected from our lifeless condition. I no longer cry out in misery but in pure awe of Your beautiful mercy. You are my stable refuge where I find peace, hope, joy, and most of all, love. You are my Father and in Your presence, I am home. I praise You for Your goodness, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“I’m going to know what it means to live and not just be alive.” Mercy Me
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