What a great thought. No matter what, everything is gonna be alright, so let the water roll. Over the years I have slowly and I mean SLOWLY developed a "water off a duck's back" philosophy. Ducks are coated with a special oil that repels water. When a duck gets water on it, the water rolls off of them. You see it every time a duck comes out of the water. He comes out dry as a bone.
Apparently, this saying or attitude originated in the 1800's, but was widely used in America in the 1900's. It can be applied to a wide scope of scenarios of which many are negative and deal with the way a person reacts to them. An example would be Bob's response to a negative or rude comment:
Bob: "Tom said I am fat. He shouldn't say that because it hurts my
feelings."
Bill: "Well, you're right. Tom should be more caring in what he says to
people."
Bob: "I'm done with him."
Bill: "I think you should treat his criticism like water off a duck's back.
Bob: What?
Bill: Don't let it affect you. I think your friendship can be salvaged if
you'll not let his words hurt you. Let them roll off you back."
Now that is a very general example, but you are a bright reader and I am sure you get the point. We have so many things to worry about in our lives. Finances, friendships, religious beliefs, homes, vehicles, gas prices, health.... fill in the blank. All of these play a role in my life and have some kind of impact on me.
My wife and I just shelled out a good sum of money to have our vehicle repaired. It was necessary to maintain our ability to travel, but our checkbook suffered a good hit as a result of the repair. I could have been very irritated and stressed to the point it would affect my attitude, but I choose to let the frustration roll off me like...you guessed it, "water off a duck's back." To be transparent, my wife played a key role in my attitude. She reminded me of how important it was for us to have a truck in good working order.
It was similar to Bill's advice to Bob. Let it roll. In the long run, it really does not matter. We can look at these situations in life and choose to let them eat at and annoy us until our attitudes are so toxic nobody wants to be around us or we can let the water roll.
I said I was slowly developing this attitude. I believe it applies to most situations; however, I now find this attitude cannot be applied to everything. I struggle (and I am not alone in this) with how the world is demeaning God who created me and all of creation. They demean Jesus Christ my Savior and the Holy Spirit who is in me and every believer. Water off a duck's back is not a platitude. A platitude is "a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful (Oxford Dict.)." You hear them a lot. For instance:
You're as young as you feel.
Crime doesn't pay.
It doesn't matter what you're doing, as long as you're having fun.
Love will always get you through.
He/she who laughs last, laughs best.
Everybody needs somebody.
All's well that ends well.
He/she is in a better place now.
I recalled a song written by Kenny Loggins called, Danny's Song. It was written to his older brother, to celebrate the birth of Danny's first son. Part of the lyrics tell us:
"In the mornin', when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright"
That is it, right there. Everything is gonna be alright. I have said it a hundred times and heard it as many. It seems good, right? No matter what you are going through, in the end, everything is gonna be alright. The truth is, I believe it. When I look at any situation, I can say with confidence, "everything is gonna be alright."
I am certain you are asking, "How can he be so confident?" My confidence comes from the Word of God. I am confident about everything being alright because I believe in the divine providence of God. Think about this before dismissing it.
"Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate (Got Questions)."
When all is going well, it is easy to confess and live by this belief until, for example, you turn on the television. When I am watching a rude, vulgar, and obscene half-time show being cheered by thousands or a television award show that was extremely blasphemous by throwing their depravity in to the face of God, I have to completely rely on God to help me stand by this belief. Psalm 1 refers to the wicked, evil people of the world and how they will not stand in the company of believers.
"Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin."
Romans 1:28-32 says,
"And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, disputes, deceit, and malice...Although they know full well God's just sentence-that those who practice such things deserve to die-they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them."
This brings me to what might appear to some as a dilemma. The beauty we see in the world is easy to attribute to God. On the other hand, when we witness such atrocious and blasphemous behavior being promoted throughout the land, it is hard to say everything will be alright. Again, how can I say everything is gonna be alright? Colossians 1:17 tells us,
"He (Jesus Christ) is before all things and by Him all things hold together. His work is further described in Hebrews 1:3-4 "He (again, Jesus) is the radiance of His (God's) glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He (Jesus) sustains all things by His powerful word."
This tells me Jesus is in control of and sustaining everything; all things. Philippians 2:9-11,
"For this reason God also highly exalted Him (Jesus) and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow-of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth-every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
When addressing the evil in the world as a child of God, I am challenged in two ways. First, I am called to pray for people, all people according to their needs, but most importantly for their relationship with Jesus. If they do not have one, then I pray for them to go to Him for salvation. On the other hand, I pray for all those who are practicing every kind of evil with a prideful attitude; again flaunting their blasphemy in the face of God.
Having placed my faith and trust for my redemption, completed on my behalf, by Jesus' death on the cross and in His resurrection from the grave, I cannot view anything of that nature without feeling horribly disgusted. I cry out to God to bring them to their knees, now before it is too late for them while at the same time, I cry out to God to thwart their popularity and success.
So, how do you feel about everything is going to be alright? Do you believe this or are you anxious about everything going on in the world? Do you have any verses in Scripture that helps you through this? When you wake up in the morning can you or do you say it's gonna be ok? Revelation 21:3-8,
"Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look! God's dwelling is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne said, "Look! I am making everything new." He also said, "Write, because these words are faithful and true." And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give to the thirsty from the spring of living water as a gift. The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars - their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
What those verses tell me is that I am not the jury nor the judge. It tells me
God will take care of all the things that bother me now and there will be eternal love and joy for those who have Jesus as their Savior. I am looking forward to the banquet Jesus is preparing for his church. Until that time,
I find rest for my soul, knowing that because of Jesus, in the end, "Everything is gonna be alright."
So, Let the Water Roll!
Wear Jesus Well
Blessings,
Steve
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