Nurture the Faith That Cannot Be Taken From You
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.”
One of the challenges of getting older is that you can no longer pretend you are in control. The older we get, the more people and things are taken from us. The reality of things being taken from us hit me in the face recently, when I met with another person who had to downsize. The person discussed the difficult, painful decisions about what their children wanted and didn’t want. She had to accept that many cherished items would be sold, while other things would be labeled “junk” and thrown away. It can feel like a significant part of one’s life is thrown away.
Instead of waiting to mourn the items we cherish when they are stripped from our lives, we should enjoy them and appreciate the memories they hold, but not rely on them for our well-being. To remain strong at each stage of life, we must ask ourselves not what means the most to us, but instead focus on what cannot be taken away. Several years ago, I provided pastoral care to a wealthy woman who lost almost everything. It was during the devastating economic decline in 2008. She trusted her bank to guide her investments, right up to its corrupt demise. While the bank would later get a government bailout, my dear friend would not see her fortune returned.
My friend had every right to become bitter. She lost all that she and her husband had spent their lives working hard to achieve, due to the bank’s questionable decisions. Instead of screaming her frustration, she told me that she would be fine, because no person or institution could take the most important thing in her life. She said that now she will have to rely more on God and that God will be there for her. For the rest of her life, she relied on God and refused to let the bank ruin her life. She refused to give the institution that power over her.
Like my two friends who downsized items and financial resources, we benefit from intentionally focusing on what no one can take away from us. We can give away self-respect and even our faith, if we value tangible things over the things that cannot be taken away, like our faith in God. Take time today to consider what you value. What would hurt if you had to give it away or worse, it was taken from you? What power have you given the items, and could it negatively impact your life if you lost it? Answering these and other relevant questions will help you reaffirm and focus on faith, which no one can take from you, unless you let them. Even in death, you do not lose faith. In death and new life, faith is fulfilled, and God will restore all good things for eternity. Let that promise give you courage as you accept what is taken away.