SURE

Don't you love it when you ask someone to do something and they immediately say, "Sure." Compare that to asking how someone is feeling and they answer, "I'm not sure."  And your natural instinct is to ask, "What do you mean, you aren't sure?"  Being certain about things makes us feel a lot better.  Covid-19 is trying to undermine all that.  ​

Being sure of something is to have confidence to move forward in faith in life. Right now we aren’t so sure of the future of our health or economy, or of the freedoms we’ve volunteered to give up to keep the virus at bay.  What makes us sure of anything?

The answer is sure foundations. What’s under anything to support what’s on top?  In the physical realm this is what we are rely on for support. In it’ simplist form we are sure that our legs can help us stand and walk safely.  We are sure that the chair will support us and that our house will remain standing, even in a pretty bad storm because of the foundation. 

In the economic realm we can only access the funds we are sure of. With many suddenly having no source of income they might not be sure of how they will survive in the short term or the long term. In our house, one benefit of the corona confinement is that we aren’t spending much on gas, impulse buying, entertainment, or even eating out, since we have more time to make meals from scratch.

In times of risk we adopt the safety nets like washing, wiping surfaces, keeping the “social” distance, to be as sure as possible we aren’t being infected or infecting others.  My illustration of the dock and the water represents the dangers of water if you aren't prepared. Every encounter with water as a leisure activity other than in a private swimming pool, recommends life jackets. This helps make every parent sure that even if their child falls overboard, whether a good swimmer or not, they will not drown.

In the case of the dock, if you’ve ever experienced trying to walk on a rotten one that’s unstable, you know what it feels like to be unsure.  It’s worse for someone trying to tie up a boat to a dock that isn’t stable. The boat in my drawing is sturdy and well built for a little row boat, but without oars we can be sure no one will be taking it out. Lacking the simplest propelling and  guidance system is too risky and too much work to steer. 

The boat reminds me of a story one of my friends told me last year.  Her pre-teen daughter was being mistreated by some of the other girls at school and came home to share that with her mother.  It so happened that her mother had read in her morning devotional meditation that as long as you are in the boat in the water, nothing can harm you.  All you have to do is keep the water out.  She shared this with her daughter.
 
The next day her daughter came home all content and happy and said, “Those girls were mean again today, but I just looked at them as the water and decided not to let them into my boat.” Her mom was  amazed that she had found practical application that made her sure of herself and feel secure, even at school.  Imagine how she will do when she gets out into the world of work and relationship building.
 
My only sure foundation is that of being a Christ follower.  Many years of living and working in the real world, of making big decisions both good and bad, have shown me what I can be sure of including this verse. “Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows those that are his. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (sin)  2 Timothy 2:19  I feel sure that through all this Corona confinement "...he will never leave me or forsake me. Hebrews 13:5 What are you sure of? 

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