Finding Stability
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. – 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17.
Madeline Vaughn is almost a dinosaur when compared to the majority of contemporary workers. Madeline is older but her job stability is what seems so out of place in today’s world. She has been working at the same job for 60 years! Such job stability seems as strange to us as dinosaurs would be in our backyards.
When Madeline found a job with the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, Texas, she was only seeking a temporary job, and she was just 20 years old. However, what she found was a career and when she retires on December 31, 2004, she will be the employee that has served the Federal Reserve longer than any other employee.
We are frequently told that the employees of the 21st Century will have to continually upgrade their skills and even change careers because of the rapidly changing technology. However, just because technology and skills are changing at an exponential rate does not mean that everything in life should follow suit. It is unlikely that there will be very many people who can hold a job for 60 years. It does appear that this will be increasingly rare and even more of an exception to the norm than it is now.
In the midst of a tumultuous living and work environment, we can still find stability. Even though we may have to move from one state to another, or even one country to another we can still have stability in our lives. Our spiritual stability hinges upon one thing and that one thing is in the holding onto our spiritual heritage. God does not change, and He is the same today as He was yesterday, and as He will be tomorrow.
To have stability in the midst of change, we must remember to put Christ first in our lives (Matthew 6:33).
To have stability and the accompanying peace that it brings in the midst of the storm of change, we must look to God to provide what only He can give us (Philippians 4:6-7).
In my lifetime, I have had to move from one place to another 20 times, and I have had 24 employers including those in my teenage years. One employer I worked for on three different occasions. The church I now pastor (in 2004) has been my employer twice, and I have been their pastor for a total of over 10 years. In the midst of change, and uncertainty God has given me the stability of peace beyond human understanding. This does not mean that I have not experienced stress, fear, doubt, and depression. It does mean that God has walked with me and carried me through it each step of the way. He will do the same for you!
(Standing firm in the midst of a rapidly changing world.)