Unknown Territory

I can't remember the precise time, but it was after 2030 and before 2100.  Suddenly there was a loud shout, and someone literaly kicked open the side door.  Bam!  And a guy carrying a machine gun, followed by two others, came charging in, firing from the hip.  The lights went off, and then all three gunmen opened fire, spraying the room with bullets (Blanks, I hoped).  There were peircing blasts from whistles, and the other door was kicked open and three more men came crashing into the room.  The only thing we knew for sure right now was when the whistles blew, we hit the floor and took up a defensive position, prostate, legs crossed, ears covered with the palms of the hands.

  HIT THE DECK!  HEADS DOWN!  INCOMING!

Then a new voice, loud and stentorian.  It was pitch dark save for the nonstop flashes of the machine guns, but the voice sounded a lot like instructor Mruk's to me - "Welcome to hell, gentlemen!"

~Marcus Luttrell from his book "Lone Survivor" describing the begining of Hell Week~

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, there are sons of God.  For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8: 14-17 NKJV

There are times when change can be a good thing to endure.  For we all too often get stuck in the rut of complacency in our normal, everyday routine.  So much so that when that opportunity for a change for the good comes along, we often shrink back in fear and apprehension at the very thought of a change in our routine.  Change may be for a good reason, but we often still move forward in fear of that great unknown before us.  If it were simply moving into something which we were comfortable with, our apprehension would certainly be minimal.  What soldier ever went into a battle in fear if he was sure he would be victorious?  Would Lebron James show apprehension with a 30 point lead in the fourth quarter?  NO!  For in each of these situations, these men were all but assured that they would come out on the other side victorious.  What need had they to fear?  The outcome was all but assured.  And so it is with us.  For if we are at all certain of the outcome of the situation we are facing, our anxiety may be fleeting.  It is not the known which we fear, but the unknown.  With each new situation we walk into, we are walking into a dark, unlit room.  As we become more assured of what it is we are facing, light will shine on our situation.  The more it is we know of what we are walking into, the less anxious we become.  It is here where our confidence outweighs our fear, knowing full well that we can overcome what is before us.

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat of what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than foood and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; Yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value tthan they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all hios glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do  not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the Kingdom of God and His rightousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorow, for tomorow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Matthew 6: 25-34 NKJV

In Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6 we find some very sound advice from our Lord concerning our anxieties that often plague us.   What was Jesus' advice for these troubled times?  DO NOT WORRY!  I get it, for Jesus must have known the physical effects which worry can place on a person.  Over time, doctors have determined that stress in ones life can have a dramatic effect on how long one lives.  From heart disease to high blood pressure, the stresses in our lives can cause havoc on us physicaly.  One more reason not to worry.  Another reason for which Christ Jesus taught that we are not to worry is that we already have a provider for that which we are worried so much about.  A good example of this truth can be found in Matthew 6:32.  It is here that Jesus tells us that we need not worry at all, "For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."  Whatever it is that we are worried about, we can rest assured that we have an advocate in Christ Jesus who is working on our behalf.  How valid are our worries if our heavenly Father already knows not only the path we are taking, but the outcome as well?

~Scott~