Shaky Ground

I was telling a friend about "earthing", which I had learned about this weekend. "Earthing is a fast-growing movement based upon the discovery that connecting to the Earth’s natural energy is foundational for vibrant health." It supposedly has many health benefits and also helps with insomnia. I was telling him that after studying it made sense to me. Two thousand years ago you often walked barefoot, connecting to the earth. Your feet touched the ground often - your floors were dirt! When I was young I was always barefoot! My friend was sharing with me about the earthquakes he experienced while living in southern California. He said some of the bigger ones were very scary....you were afraid of the earth cracking. He said children were fearful of the earth opening up and swallowing them. He reminded me that our feet are always grounded and that is why kids are so scared of an earthquake.

I may believe that there is a connection of our feet touching the earth. I believe we are wonderfully made and God had a purpose for even the dirt. I believe that there are minerals and things that are in the earth's makeup that are beneficial for us. The soles of our feet have much larger pores than the rest of our body so they can absorb things and quickly feed them into our bloodstream. Every nerve line in the body ends in our feet. Specialists in reflexology maintain that certain areas of the feet correspond to the body’s organs.

I may not be ready to preach on being grounded to the earth but I am ready to preach on being grounded in God's Word! All through life there are going to be times that we are going to be on shaky ground. And there will be times that it is so shaky that we are afraid of being swallowed up in a dark hole. During those times we need to know Whose we are! God has a way of shaking the world when He is at work. Jesus’ death was such a dramatic event that even the earth reacted to it. The ground literally shook when Jesus died on the cross. Matthew 27: 31, "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split." We got to see the rock that split when we were in the Holy Land.

We can probably all name a time when our earth started shaking - a job loss, a marriage breakup, an illness, a death, a catastrophe, etc. During these times it is easy to doubt ourselves, God's plan and even God. We know that we are going to have shaky times in our life. John 16: 33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." But take heart - there is something we can do to help us get through these times. We can keep our focus on the Lord. Psalm 16: 8, "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

A life grounded in truth is the most powerful thing we can have. When we are shaken up God can work on us. This is when He reminds us that He is the only Steady in our life. Hebrews 13: 8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." If we live in God's Word we will develop spiritual discernment which gives us guidance in making our choices and guarding us against deception. God gives us wisdom and enables us to help others. When God builds that trust with us He also gives us greater responsibility and opportunities to enrich His Kingdom.

Circumstances and emotions may shake us but we have a constant in our life! We have Someone that will hold us and never, ever let us go. Psalm 62: 6, "Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken." The Lord changes everything!