The Vortex of the Cone of Uncertainty

A few months ago during tornado season here in the midwest my husband and I watched a weather report in which the meteorologist, in his most serious voice, pointed out on the radar what he referred to as "the vortex of the cone of uncertainty". This phrase caught on and is now used in all kinds of ridiculous ways in our house. We will, most likely, joke about it for years. It's dramatic. It's specifically vague. It's... funny.

But all too often in life we find ourselves in situations that are far from funny. We find ourselves right smack in the middle of something we don't understand. We find ourselves at the "vortex of the cone of uncertainty." Just as if we were sucked up into a funnel cloud of wind, rain and debris, we find our lives spiralling far from our control and into a vacuum that scares us.

We've all been there. Some of us more than others. What we do when we find ourselves there is what matters. Do we loose all faith and panic? Do we suck others into our disaster with us? Do we declare our lives a national disaster and cry to anyone who will listen? Or do we plant our feet on the solid ground and trust our Savior to hold us there?

I'm ashamed to admit that I've done a little of all of the above.

We're all familiar with the passages in the New Testament which remind us that God knows every detail of a sparrow's life and He cares so much more for us. (See Matthew 10:29-32.) We know that not a single thing happens that God is unaware of... that He doesn't have His hand on... that He hasn't allowed to happen in our lives. Yet, in the middle of the storm, we tend to forget that. We get so caught up in the mess that we take our eyes off our Maker.

As military wives, we joke that the only thing certain about the military is the uncertainty. We don't know where we're going to live next yea,r let alone five years from now. We don't know what church we'll go to or where we'll work. We don't know if our husbands will be safe. We don't know if they'll be home for Christmas. We don't know if they'll be home Saturday. And let's face it, lately we haven't even known if they would be getting paid. Our lives are made up of a great deal of uncertainty. But we have a Firm Foundation that we can stand on. We have a Rock which cannot be moved. We have a Savior who died for us. We have a Creator who keeps us in His care. We have a Father who tenderly loves us. We have a King who fights for us. We have a Groom who is coming for us.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace."