Psalm 18:2-3 – The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. (NIV)

My kitten, Earl, has certainly livened up my little household of dogs. He gets into things where the canines would never go, and thus, I am kept on my toes learning to think like a cat.

His latest escapade took place in the bathroom as I happened to be walking by and movement caught my eye. Earl was standing on his hind legs, unravelling the roll of toilet paper as fast as it would go. White sheets lay in an ever-increasing pile all over the floor. "Earl, whatever are you doing?" I asked him. He blithely glanced at me before sauntering away, leaving the mess for me to clean up. I have always heard that dogs have masters, but cats have servants. I understand this saying more and more now that Earl lives with us.

Unravelled toilet paper is a bit of a nuisance, but when our life becomes unravelled in one way or another, it can be a lot more than a nuisance. It can be devastating. It can throw us into despair. It can cause us to wonder how we will ever get our lives back on course again and cope with everything that it takes to clean up what has befallen us.

Amidst such times of unravelling, however, we have One Who has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5b NIV) "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." (Isaiah 43:2 NIV) Why? Because for the believer in Christ, the Lord our God, the Holy One of Israel, our Saviour, is with us and is more than able to strengthen, encourage, and grant wisdom and hope to overcome any unravelling situation that enters into our lives. In fact, He is even able to take such situations and work them for good in our lives as we continue to look to this One Who is worthy of praise.

The choice is ours, however. When life begins to unravel, we must decide. Do we choose negativity and despair concerning our situation, a choice that pulls us down and robs us of hope and life? Or do we choose positively by continuing to place our hope in "him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us"? (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)

I don't know about you, but I've made up my mind concerning my decision when life unravels around me.

Prayer: Father God, grant us the insight and power to choose to place our hope and trust in You when life unravels around us. For You, Lord, are a true and sure hope, One in Whom we can find refuge and strength, wisdom and deliverance amidst any and all situations, for which we are truly thankful. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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