Our Safe Place

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (ESV)

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. Micah 6:8 (MSG)

It's been a floopty week. You know the kind - when you're off kilter. You've had your feet knocked out from under you and you can't tell up from down, right from left. You feel entirely out of control, and you're not sure what's coming next. It's a bit like I've always imagined Alice felt while falling down the rabbit hole. But not all - or even mostly - hard because nothing ever is all one thing and none of another. My kids have made me laugh out loud. My man and I had a stellar night away last weekend. Spring is here and all the flowers, friends - all.the.flowers. Friendships have been rich. So much goodness. But floopty all the same.

Except.

Except that I have a center point, a thing to grab hold when things aren't quite making sense. The Bible - God's Word - is such a gift. It's the thing we can always count on to be true, relevant, and steadying. It is firm, unshakeable, and relevant. When we cannot seem to shake out right from wrong in our lives, the Bible acts as a sieve - giving us clear answers to screaming questions and gracious balms for our throbbing hearts. It is also an impressive work of literature with storylines woven together so intricately, so perfectly that it gets my writer's heart pumping hard every time I discover a new plot twist that I'd never noticed before.

So, when I have floopty weeks, I go to God's Word. Or I should. To be honest, I haven't really gone searching for truth from the Bible in the midst of all the unsureness. There's been a lot of praying - and it's sounded a lot like this over and over again: What do you want from me, Lord? What am I supposed to do?

That's pretty much what the Israelites were asking God in Micah - what are we supposed to DO?

And God, in a generously simple response says:

Do the right thing to and for the people around you. And do it with grace and compassion. And love me more than you love yourself.

I don't know what life looks like for you right now. If it looks like mine, it's wonderful and terrifying, beautiful and heartbreaking. And if you hear me say anything to you this morning, hear me say this:

Our concerns at the feet of Jesus and our actions in line with the truth of God's Word - this is the only safe place to be. We are every one of us flawed and complicated people - able to do great good and inflict deep hurt. Don't get caught in the trap of believing you are all one or the other or that God is not big enough to use you as you are where you are.

He is kind and good and able. Go to Him with our junk and thank Him for your blessings. Be kind and fight for justice. This is enough. Isn't that comforting?

He is enough.