A few nights ago, our dog Dixie got the zoomies. She raced around in circles as far as the leash would allow. I wasn’t worried. Standing on the porch, I had a two-hand hold on it. Wasn’t gonna let her get away again. (Last time had me running down the road in my housecoat.)
Typically, she feels the tug and stops. Not this time. Dixie was determined. She pulled hard against the leash. With a run and go, she went full force toward the neighbor’s yard, yanking me right off the porch. Into the brick-lined landscaping. On my face. In the dark. I screamed midair alerting my family inside that there was a problem.
Falling in slow motion, I pictured broken bones, broken teeth. When my daughter found me lying face down, she was horrified – thinking the worst. Meanwhile, Dixie jumped all over the place, not realizing she’d nearly done me in.
Sometimes life can be like that. Out of the blue, circumstances can change and leave us feeling as if we have been knocked off our feet, our foundation.
It took me a few dazed minutes to be able to get up. I was sore for a few days and had a couple of bruises, but that was all. It was miraculous. And I learned a valuable lesson: I had not been standing firm.
You may not know it, but there are two ways to stand: casual and firm. The casual way is typically with weight on one foot, knee slightly bent. Very easily knocked over or yanked off the porch. The firm way to stand is with both feet firmly planted. There is no knocking this person over, down, or off the porch into the bushes. This is the stand mentioned in Ephesians 6.
Writing from prison, Paul wrote well-known verses about being strong, standing firm, and the armor of God. Ephesians 6:11 encourages, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” We may feel pretty strong, but we’re not strong enough to do life on our own. It is a tremendous blessing knowing we don’t have to rely on our own strength.
Verses 13-14a are worth mentioning: “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes (or trouble or heartache or sickness or death of a loved one) you may be able to stand. Stand firm then…” I added the parentheses.
Paul encouraged the believers at Colosse -and us today – to continue to live their lives in Jesus, being rooted in Him (Colossians 2:6-7). That’s what I want for you and me: to be dug down, deep-rooted in Christ. So, when life wants to yank us off our foundation, we will be able to stand firm.
How do we do that? Read His Word and obey it. Talk to God and listen to Him; He will speak to you. Then believe and trust Him.
My favorite worship song is “Firm Foundation.” It reminds me daily: “Christ is my firm foundation, The Rock on which I stand, When everything around me is shaken, I’ve never been more glad, That I put my faith in Jesus, ’Cause He’s never let me down…”
Let Jesus be your foundation. Lean on Him. Depend on Him. Stand firm in His strength.