He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Col. 1:17)
HEATHER AND I NEEDED a large home, so we thought, to accommodate our ample brood of six children. We settled on a lovely place situated on nearly four acres of land. “It’s perfect,” she said as we looked it over, “the kids will have lots of room to play.”
Surveying the brick exterior and well-trimmed shrubbery, I added, “Yes, and the yard will be low-maintenance.” Boy, was I wrong. For one thing, it takes the better part of a day to mow four acres. And the bushes may have been well-trimmed when we bought the place, but they grow. All the time. With dozens of trees shedding leaves, peeling paint on the deck railing, cracks appearing in the driveway, and moles burrowing in the lawn, this property is anything but low-maintenance.
Our world is not low-maintenance either. Without Christ’s ongoing involvement, it would spin out of control. He provides the energy that keeps the earth spinning, the electrons moving, and the sun shining. He is the creative force behind the love, justice, and mercy that make human life bearable. He has not abandoned the earth; He is the Sustainer of creation.
True, sin has left a dark stain on the planet and on the human heart, but the One who created life remains involved in it. We are not left alone. Christ is with us, even now.
Light a candle to remind yourself of the presence of Christ in the world.
Lawrence W. Wilson is the author of A Different Kind of Crazy (WPH) and coauthor of The Long Road Home (WPH). He lives in central Indiana and blogs at www.lawrencewilson.com.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
