The World is Still Spinning

The world is still spinning, Love.

These are the words that jogged through my mind recently, as I was playing with our 19-month-old grandson. We were in his backyard, and he was mowing the grass with his noisy plastic lawnmower.

Suddenly he paused, tilted his face upward, and smiled wide at a chirping cardinal, which sat, feathers all fluffed, trilling from the rooftop. He studied the glowing bird for a few seconds, utterly delighted and captivated, before returning to his mowing expedition.

Our grandson soon called out Papa! Papa! to his grandfather, who stood in the corner of the yard, taking a phone call. I knew from my husband’s tone that something was terribly wrong. And it was. A sorrow was unfolding in the life of one of our church members, and my pastor-husband was offering comfort in that tender moment.

But of course, our precious grandson could not possibly understand any of this.

He called again: Papa! as he continued to fly about the yard, showcasing his fine mowing skills. As Jon remained on the phone, our little buddy tried harder, and louder, to get his attention.

I finally picked him up and swung him high, kissing his soft cheek, and nuzzling his neck which made him giggle. Offering him an applesauce pouch did the trick, brightening all disappointment. He devoured his snack, pausing only to share some with me.

I hugged him close.

The world is still spinning, Love. God is here, and so is Papa.

Some things cannot be explained to a toddler, but I tried anyway, adding, Your Papa loves you, and he will soon watch you mow.

And so it goes, the warp and woof of life never quite matching our desires. Yet the planet is spinning still, held by God.

***

The world feels shattered doesn’t it? Our culture, ravenously lusting for power, control, and contentment, remains strapped in a merry-go-round of insanity, reaching again and again for life’s fruitless, dissatisfying pleasures.

I have found it impossible, (at least for me), to overthink and rehash the ongoing chaos while simultaneously remaining spiritually well.

So I have taken to practicing the discipline of restructuring my thoughts, which sounds fancy but simply means I am training myself to set my mind on things above (Colossians 3:2) since my natural, crippled inclination is to ponder worldly catastrophes and distractions.

And herein lies the magnificent gem: There is never a poor time to reset your mind, pinning it to the things of God.

I invite you into my personal mantra:

God is always working, and he is always good. He is Ruler of all, and by faith in Jesus Christ I am his, beloved and kept. My name is engraved on his hand. When I am weak, and begin to think God does not hear me, I am in the wrong. The world is still spinning, by God’s power and good purpose. The Lord knows my every thought and every ache, and he keeps all of my tears in his bottle. Whatever pain, tragedy, illness, or sorrow erupts in my life, I can know, without a speck of doubt, that He has allowed it for my good and his glory. I have died, and my life is hidden with Christ in God.

I have found that this repetition of biblical truth expands my soul, quiets my mind, corrects my faulty thinking, and steadies me in life’s whipping monsoons. It is a discipline of the will that serves to carve joy in those gritty places of life.

When hardships come calling, and life hurts something fierce, I am comforted and happy, trusting and treasuring God.

***

I gleaned an important truth from our grandson during our backyard playtime. He modeled what it looks like to be creatures of dust, enjoying the work we have been given, while also listening and pausing for songbirds. He showed me how to stop and revel in Creation by looking up and away from the tasks before us, smiling with simple joy at the wonders of life. Our days are gifts, offered to us by our Heavenly Father, who will one day mend this broken-down world.

God offers us glimpses of his beauty, to remind us of his Greatness. Although life is full of disappointments, we may choose to allow life’s difficulties to consume and derail us, or we can pause, remembering Who is holding both the nations and our days.

The world is still spinning, Love.

There will be snapshots of splendor tucked within the disappointments and chaos, as the Author of Life is continually at work, painting exquisite murals for us to inhale. Brilliant tangerine and lemony hues of sunrise, flowering cascades of springtime, morning glories and lupines and lilacs, twinkly stars embedded in the inky night sky, bright-winged birds, exotic, fluttering butterflies, and people. Knit together in secret, growing from tiny newborn babies into wrinkled, aging saints. Saints whose Bibles are marked and worn, their hearts and hands stretched heavenward, ready to meet God.

***

My personal mantra is based on these Bible verses: (John 5:17, Mark 10:18) (Psalm 121:5) (Isaiah 49:16) (Psalm 18:6) (Psalm 24:1, Psalm 95:4-5) (Psalm 139, Psalm 56:8) (1 Peter 1:7) (Colossians 3:4)