Sights and Insights
Devotion for July 6, 2021
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. – Colossians 2:6-7 (NRSV)
We are starting to pare through our collection of empty cardboard boxes. When you have moved several times in a short time span, it can be hard to part with a good box. Good packing boxes are hard to come by, so you want to hold onto the ones you have. Breaking them down for recycling is not merely a physical act; it is an emotional one of settling into a place. For me, at least, getting a home base set is essential to moving into a new area. Most aspects of life can be done effectively in any number of ways. The home base helps to narrow the many options into regular patterns and routines. Which grocery store, where to get gas, which household chores need to be done how often: all of these decisions are shaped by the home base. It is the foundation in the sea of possibilities that sets a frame for all of the other decisions of life.
The same is true for our life more generally. There are many potentially good and right ways to go about most any aspect of our lives. How do we frame things to help us choose? What foundation gives us the ability to function and make sense of the world? As Christians, we proclaim Christ as our foundation. It is in the life of Jesus and the saving work of Christ that we find a home base that we can use to make sense of all of the other decisions we face every day.
These days everything is in flux even more than usual. As things re-open, it can seem as if every day our usual routines are changed in a new way. No longer in the full shutdown mode but not back to what once was either, we are reminded of the sea of possibilities around us and the power of routine to give us comfort. This is true in so many aspects of life, including church life. I know how much of my time is spent figuring out how to do things that are normally givens. It can be draining, not to mention confusing for those who are trying to keep up with all of the little changes. Within all of these different ways that present themselves, we must continually go back to the foundation. We must remember what is the essential base, and what is secondary. Keeping our focus on Christ as our foundation can help orient us amidst change, and give us a sense of direction and purpose even in unfamiliar territory. We continuing to live our lives in Christ, rooted and built up in him; may we abound in thanksgiving at having such a firm foundation.