When the whole world seems like it’s out to get you.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Even after re-applying sunscreen several times, their faces looked like this after a summer’s day spent in the pool. “You need to stop rubbing your face every time you come up out of the water!” I nagged, trying in vain to protect them from the sun’s cancer-causing rays. 

Yesterday I was warning my middle kiddo about carcinogens on burnt foods. She replied. “Mom, every food causes cancer!”  It does feel that way. Yet, there are health problems we can prevent with food choices, so I’ll keep fighting that battle along with faithfully applying sunscreen.

It’s hard to be a mom when it feels like the whole world is trying to kill your family. Let’s not even get started on terrorists, drugs, and sex trafficking! You don’t have to be a mom to feel the effects of this broken world pulling you down. We all feel it.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 English standard Version

It’s not our imagination. This world is trying to kill us. Since sin came into the world we are in a hot battle against death. It’s a battle that can feel in vain, and if Christ doesn’t return first we will all lose the battle with death eventually. However . . .

Christ has won the war!

The promise for us who are in Christ is victory over death! One day everything and everyone around us will only bring about life in the very presence of He Who is life! Even now, while we wait for that day, He is working eternal life in our hearts.

^“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV

Our Father will never leave us to battle alone. He even uses the battle itself to shape us into the image of our Savior. Death never really wins after all!

So take a deep breath and give thanks to the One Who is in control of it all, while I go and retrieve the grilled cheese sandwich I forgot about on the griddle. I’m not kidding. Stupid carcinogens!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO