Letter to the editor: Good times and bedtimes

During the good times of life, we tend to be wide awake, involved and engaged. During the bad times, we tend to sleep or hibernate in our activities and thoughts. Of course this is natural. When we see our money growing in our retirement accounts we tend to be optimistic and will spend more freely. When we see losses in those accounts we pull back spending, and in both cases, it makes no financial sense. It simply reflects our natural tendencies.

The same is true in all aspects of life. Surprises are nice at parties, but everyday surprises tend to make us nervous. We prefer the expected and normative. Things outside of that norm cause us distress. For people trying to discern why so many people live on the edge today, they need look no further. The rapidity of change is keeping all of us off balance most of the time. We frantically consult our phones for messages, information, comfort, connection and a host of other things.

Is there a better way? Of course there is, and we all know that calmness and reflection is a preferred path. The great question is how do we get there? The bad news is that it is not easy. The good news is that it is not impossible. Within ourselves there is this constant ebb and flow of emotions, reason and decisions. Sometimes we do well, other times not so much. While we can talk endlessly about balance, the fact is that we were not created with an automatic equalizer. Our balance mechanism is as faulty as is the rest of our makeup.

Of course you can pay an advisor to tell you things you already know but cannot seem to do. Prescription drugs can treat symptoms but do not necessarily address underlying chemical imbalances or other issues within us. The answers are available but not self-evident. Sleep helps if we can get it, but we cannot sleep all the time. And, since we are not the first generation to deal with anxiety, we have to know that myriads of ways have been used to treat it.

I once visited a place within the boundaries of the old Roman Empire where snakes were used in shock therapy. It did not seem like a very good idea to me!

Obviously all of this is going somewhere, so I suppose it's time to get there! Jesus made it very clear that we could have peace, and joy, and contentment in Him. He did not mean that we would have this automatically everyday and in every way. But He certainly did mean that we could have peace and joy and contentment in our lives generally speaking. How? By trusting in Him and not in ourselves. Religion cannot help us. It simply puts a cover over problems until a later time. The Bible is God's denunciation of religion and His invitation to a relationship with Him. You can read it for yourself, but this is precisely the message of the prophets in the Old Testament, and of the New Testament. It was the religious leaders after all who led the conspiracy to kill Jesus. They did not anticipate the Resurrection!

You and I can either celebrate the good times, and sleep-walk through the rest of life, or we can do what the Creator designed us to do: trust in Him. The choice is ours.

THE REV. DR. JAMES R. CHANDLER JR.

Pastor, Bethany Baptist Church

Bishopville