We live in uncertain times. Take the UK, for instance. What with the defeat of the Brexit deal this morning, the impending vote of no confidence tomorrow and then the whole will they leave won't they leave thing, one might say they are in a royal mess. Or take Australia. The government has a tenuous grasp on power. They have lost their minority. Some parties seem in total disarray. Some new parties seem to have unlimited supplies of money to advertise and our using billboards, endless television advertisements, and SMS text messages to get their message across. And we have no idea if the election this year will be held in March or May and if there will be a majority or minority government at the end of the day and if all the party infighting will end.
The climate has always been changeable. But it seems that because of global warming things are that much more topsy turvy. Heat waves, winter storms, droughts, floods all seem much more common and more severe than say 50 years ago.
Even the geological activity seems more prevalent right now. Volcanoes erupted in Indonesia, Hawaii, and Italy last year just. O Although the promised big earthquake has not happened yet, it does seem that a major quake will be happening sooner rather than later. There seems to be less firmer ground for us to stand on.
The economy seems iffy. House prices are down, wages are frozen, the employment picture is changing as there seems to be more temporary work and fewer permanent positions available. Some important industries of the past are fading away but we are uncertain as to what employers will replace them.
So everything seems uncertain. How do we survive these chaotic times? One, we could hold on to certain things for dear life. But what things? Church has changed, society has changed, politics has changed, the economy changed. If we anchor ourself to one thing from the past, we run the risk of running aground and getting stuck. And what our anchors that would be helpful and which ones are less helpful.
Two, one could try to keep up with the changes. But some changes are fads and merely temporary. Some things are permanent changes. Some things change so gradually we hardly notice them. Some changes are good. Some are not.
Three, we can try to be flexible. This is probably the most difficult course of action that we can follow. And yet it is undoubtedly the best course of action. It means using one's power of discernment. One has to decide if this is an important change or one that can be ignored temporarily, or for a longer period of time, or maybe we can ignore it permanently. It means letting go of some things and treasuring others. It means we will be challenged and our resources will be strained.
Chaotic times like this are never easy. They upset. They unnerve. They shake lose some of our foundations. But they are here. The best we can do is hold on and enjoy the ride. Blessings
