We were created by God, through God, and for God; He is the head of the body of Christ, and He holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-18). Yet living in this fallen world as sinful people by nature and sometimes by choice, we can sometimes attach ourselves to other things or people in order to feel tethered; to live like someone who has a purpose, who is trying to find ultimate fulfillment, or attaching ourselves to things or people for a sense of identity.
I know I am guilty of this in certain seasons of my life and I am sure you are too. We can proclaim Christ is our foundation but when that job opportunity goes to someone else, we wonder if our foundation is as secure as we thought. We can worship Him through song and confess that He is enough but when we turn to people to fill a deeper soul void of loneliness we might be experiencing, we wonder if Christ truly does satisfy every longing. We say we trust Him with our finances but when unexpected expenses come up, we wonder if He really will provide for our needs. Please hear me. Questioning, doubting, feeling, or reassessing is not bad! We all do it and more than likely our faith has come out stronger because of it. What I’m getting at here is trying to paint a picture by using broad illustrations to show various ways that we might need some re-tethering to Christ. Let me be the very first person to raise my hand and say my faith and being tethered have been tested many times this year; I’m reminding myself of these same truths. So, what does it look like to enjoy the careers, passions, financial blessings, friendships, and opportunities God has given us while still tethering our identities to the person of Christ?
Recognize that every good gift is from Him (James 1:16-18).
Root yourself in Him, not people or anything else on this earth (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Abide in Him (John 15).
These might feel like another list of things to check off or to make sure you’re doing, but I would highly encourage you to just sit in one of these for a week. Spend some time before the Lord, focusing on just one, and ask yourself these questions:
What does _______ (abiding) look like for me currently?
What does it mean to ________ (abide in Christ)?
What could this look like for me in the current season I am in?
Who can I share this with and bring along with me in my journey of ______ (abiding)?
These are just tools to help get you started as you think about rooting and grounding yourself in the person of Christ; this is not the only way. The goal of this is to gently remind you to come back to the person of Christ, whether things are going well or they’re hard.
Let’s keep coming back.