The Spot on the Wall

The older I get the more I realize that Hallmark paints a very beautiful, but very one-sided view of life and love. Real life is not always roses… Not always love, kindness, compassion. There are hard things too and they are not romantic. They often leave a person wondering what there is to possibly hold onto. 

Sometimes they leave you tossing and turning at night. Sometimes the valley seems so incredibly deep that there is no view of light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes the storms are so fierce that we can’t see past them. They swirl around us, threatening to engulf our very being. Things that are out of our control. And when those things begin to overcome us, we realize that everything around us can move with the waves. I have found myself longing for one steady thing. One steady light. One constant. Have you ever watched a ballerina as she spins and noticed that her head does not spin with her body? It's called spotting. As long as the dancer keeps her eyes on one spot, she can spin

At 16 years old, ballet was most of my focus.

and leap and move around the dance floor without getting dizzy or losing her balance. Her gaze remains fixed on that one point because it keeps her steady no matter what her body is doing.

I know this because I spent years dancing.

And I think life can feel a lot like that.

So what is our hope? What is that one thing that is guaranteed to not change? The constant. That sure foundation… deep, strong, and wide. That one thing that will never, ever fail us? The one thing that remains present even when we’ve lost our way and taken our eyes off the spot on the wall. Even when we’ve been tossed about by the storms of life. The one thing that remains exactly where it has always been, waiting for us to turn back and look again?

For me, there is only one answer. And it is not of this world, because this world is passing away.

Many years ago, during a very difficult season of my life, a woman shared something with me that changed everything. I felt like I was being tossed on a sea with nothing to hold onto. She told me that until I held onto Jesus, I would always be tossed by the waves. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what she meant. But over the years, I have come to see the truth in her words.

The things of this world never satisfy us. They’re fleeting. They come and they go. Success comes and goes. Joys come, and then they go. Circumstances change. Relationships change. Health changes. Even the things we treasure most can be taken from us. Things we thought we could hold onto slip through our fingers. 

The Bible tells us that all of us fall short of God's perfect standard. We choose our own way. We sin. And the consequence of sin is separation from God.

But God, in His incredible love, mercy, and grace, made a way for us to come near to Him.

Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life. He willingly took upon Himself the punishment that I deserved. Through His death and resurrection, He made it possible for me to be forgiven and restored to God.

And what He accomplished cannot be undone. It does not come and go. It does not change.

Because of Jesus, and what he did, I know that I am forgiven. I know that I am redeemed. I know that I belong to Him. I know that He hears my prayers. I know that He will never leave me nor forsake me. And I know that when everything around me is shifting, He remains the same.

That is the hope.

Sometimes the lessons we need are hidden in the things we love.

Not my circumstances, my feelings, or my ability to hold everything together. What a relief!

The hope is in who He is, what He has done, and who He says I am.

When the wind and the waves raged, Jesus stood upon the water. When the storm threatened His disciples, He commanded it to be still.

And even when the storms in my own life continue to rage, I find there is a calm that comes from keeping my eyes fixed on Him.

A peace that reminds me who I am.

A peace that reminds me that I am not alone.

A peace that remains even when the storm has not yet passed.

That is what this little corner of Healthy Made Easy is about.

It is a place to talk about hope.

Real hope.

The kind that remains when everything else is stripped away.

And if you're not sure you believe any of this, that's okay.

Keep reading. Keep asking questions. Keep leaning in.

Ask God to show Himself to you.

He is faithful. He is listening. And He is everlasting hope. ♡