Making it Through Turbulent Times…

I am no prophet, but I think we are in turbulent times. Some of you are reading this before the election, and some are after. No matter who wins, there will be turbulence. We will still be a divided nation.

Some people want to believe you can hide from turbulence. I don’t think that is possible. You can try to create a bubble where you check out or stockpile food and supplies, but turbulence has a way of finding you.

The first time you encounter turbulence, it is frightening. I remember fishing with my parents. I was fourteen, and they trusted me to drive the boat back to the landing. A thunderstorm had popped up and was whipping the waves into towering whitecaps. Stinging rain pecked at our faces. I had never encountered anything like this, and I was scared. I looked back, expecting my stepfather to take command. Instead, as we bounced up and down on the waves, I saw him with his arm around my mother, laughing like a kid at the county fair. I calmed down. 

The first lesson in getting through turbulent times is to expect to be frightened if you have never faced something before. Fear is God’s emotional gift to alert you that you need help to face the situation. In my case, I needed the reassurance of my stepfather. He had been through storms before; this one did not scare him.

I remember going through difficult days as a pastor. I spoke to an older pastor who calmed me down and told me his own story about turbulent times and how he survived. My fear didn’t go away entirely, but his story calmed me greatly.

On several flights, I’ve heard the captain come on and say, “Ahhhh, folks, we’re encountering some turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts. Flight attendants, please discontinue cabin service.” 

The second lesson in getting through turbulent times is to buckle up. Life is not a smooth ride. Strap down everything you can. When Tim Keller started his church in Manhattan, he and his wife had a frank conversation about what would be required. They knew one of the most important things they could do was keep the lines of communication open over the first two years. They were trying to make sure their relationship was in shape for the first bumpy stretch. That’s one way of buckling up.

I grew up in rodeo. This was before big money, when cowboys would rodeo on the weekends and be back at work on the ranch on Monday. Though I was a child, I learned nobody stays on every bull. A cowboy might get two good rides, but there would always be one bull that would spin and twist. The bull-rider would get thrown off the bull, fly about twenty feet, and land in the soft sand of the arena. Sometimes, the rider would get thrown, kicked, and wind up under the bull. Not a happy position.

The third lesson to get through turbulent times is you might get thrown off. This doesn’t mean you are incompetent or weak. It means turbulence is unpredictable. Don’t tie your self-worth to being casualty-free. If you get thrown off, as soon as you can, run for the fence and live to ride another day.

A pastor friend of mine made a mistake after serving as a pastor for about ten years. He left the ministry, did the work to keep his family together, and relocated. He and his family were active in their church, but he didn’t seek to lead in any public way. One day, his pastor asked him to have lunch and told him the church wanted to plant another church. He felt strongly that my friend was supposed to be the pastor of the new church. After prayer and consultation with his wife and wise friends, my friend said yes. After a twenty-year interruption, my friend was back as a pastor and has grown that church plant to over 700 attendees. He got thrown off; he got up. God gave him a second act.

That stormy day on the lake, with my parents laughing in the back seat of the boat, I steered through the wind and the rain. I kept my eye on my destination: the landing. I knew when we got there, we could load the boat, get in the car, and be safe from the turbulent storm. 

This is the final lesson on getting through turbulent times: keep your eyes on the destination. The wind was pushing the boat around, and the rain was coming right at us. If I let the wind control the boat, we’d miss the landing. If I turned so the rain wasn’t stinging our faces, we’d wind up where we started. 

Steven Covey, the author, said the key to effectiveness is to begin with the end in mind. Andy Stanley reminds us direction, not determination, determines destination. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, this should be no surprise. If we keep our eyes on him, and follow him, we will wind up where he is going. He called that place “His Father’s House.”  Others call it “heaven. Jesus followers, no matter how turbulent the times, call it “Home.”