Thought for Today
Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
Psalm 112:6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. 7 They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD.
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Many of us woke this morning to disturbing news concerning Venezuela. We heard (and still hear) the dire words of network newscasters; we see nighttime photos of helicopters in the air and the corona of what appear to be explosions on the ground. Unless you have been to Venezuela, however, these photos could be from almost any point on our planet. Without some personal point of reference, we are left with only the assurance that we are seeing actual events in South America.
If you are reading this, you almost assuredly have spent significant time shopping in malls. Although the gigantic mega-malls of some years ago are fading in retail popularity, giving way to large groupings of individual stores, you probably have had the experience of entering the mall and immediately going to the mall map to find out which way you need to go to get to a specific store. Probably one of the first things you do to orient yourself is to find the “you are there” point.
In our modern world of three-letter acronyms (TLAs), I think of that “you are there” point as a YAT. Without that YAT, the mall map is useless in telling you where you are or how to get where you want to go.
Have you ever been to Venezuela? If someone handed you a map of Venezuela sans any external reference points, would you have any idea of where Caracas, the capital, is? I have never visited South America. I did once work a project on the island of Aruba. While there, I did visit the island’s western shore, from which I could see the eastern shore of Venezuela. That being said, I still don’t have a YAT as I look at those photos of helicopters in the air and the corona of what appear to be explosions on the ground.
Years ago, I encouraged everyone in our Bible Study to create their own Statement of Faith. Every time since then, as I review the statement I created, I find my statement intriguing. At the time I created it, I listed what I thought of as my ‘irreducible minimum.’ These were the beliefs that formed my faith-anchor, the beliefs I could not give up. These were my YAT.
Today is the third day of our new year. The beginning of a new year is an especially good time to review one’s irreducible minimum, to examine the firm security of one’s YAT. Where are you . . . where am I on my journey of faith? Do I have a good idea of my YAT? Do I have even the remotest idea of where I want to go? Without knowing where I am, how can I possibly ever get to my intended destination. Instead of getting to the sporting goods store, I may well end up in the cosmetics store!
I have read and heard that we cannot live life in the past or in the future, we can only live in the present. Knowing the past, learning from the past is critical. But, living in the past keeps us from progressing toward the future. But, if we dream of the future, ignoring the present, we will never get to the future. We will be stuck in time.
The same is true for our faith. A knowledge of the past, an understanding of our ancestors-in-the-faith is important. Reading the scriptures, studying the Bible, reading from the patriarchs and theologians of the past deepens our faith and understanding of our Creator God. All of that helps us find our YAT.
Equally important as we journey down our way is a firm understanding of where we are going. Just like a roadmap, both points are essential to prevent our being stuck on that journey.
This year, sometime in the hectic race to start off the new year, to watch all the bowl games and the Super Bowl, between standing in the return lines, take some time to review your YAT and to confirm your destination.
Stay safe, know where you are and where you are aimed, trust God,
Pastor Ray