Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

The fact that high bridges make me very, very nervous is no secret. There are a few of them that I avoid at all costs! I'm also not overly fond of elevators (now that I'm retiring, I figure I might as well admit to all my quirks lol). And one more thing that does not thrill me is tunnels. But for the last year, as I've come and gone from Ivyland to Jim Thorpe, guess what it has involved? Yep. The Lehigh tunnel. In the whole scheme of things, however, it's honestly one of the better tunnels (in my humble opinion) because it's not overly long. The good news about the Lehigh tunnel is that you can practically see the other end almost as soon as you enter it.

 

Now that I've become so familiar with the Lehigh tunnel, there's one aspect of it that I find extremely fascinating. I admit it could just be a strange coincidence, but on many occasions, I've entered that tunnel on one side and exited just a moment or two later to find an entirely different world on the other side. Sometimes I've entered in the midst of a bright sunny day and I've come out on the other side to overcast skies and rain. Or it's been drizzling on one side but snowing like the dickens on the other. Sometimes there's even been a significant temperature difference. On the north side, there is a sign shortly after the tunnel that states, "welcome to the Pocono Mountains." Maybe that's what makes the difference. But it often seems almost as though I am stepping into Narnia - the land beyond the wardrobe (remember "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"?).

 

It's a little bit like our current situation, isn't it? Coronavirus has very suddenly and very abruptly forced us to enter a tunnel of sorts, and we haven't even quite seen the light at the end of it yet. And we can assume that when we finally emerge at the other side, things might very well look quite different, at least for a while. Uncertainty is never a comfortable thing for us. It causes us lot of stress and a lot of worry. We like consistency; we like to be able to count on what we'll be doing from day to day; we like to plan the direction of our lives. But sometimes we get rude reminders that life doesn't necessarily work that way. These are the times we need to remember that there is one thing we can always count on, and it's the only thing that really matters in light of eternity anyway. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and tomorrow. God is in control and God will ultimately use this situation to work for good. We can count on it.

 

                                                                        Pastor Janice

 

Prayer: Lord, give me a glimpse of your love and your power lest I forget that you are my rock and my fortress. When life seems out of control, remind me that you are in control. Help me to rest comfortably in your strong arms. In Jesus' name. Amen.