Separation Anxiety

Across the table at the church potluck, Brice was all too happy, sucking on his private piece of chocolate bark. His face and hands covered in the joy of his contentment. Then truth set in as he realized he was sitting on his father’s lap and the realization that his mother was unaccounted for. Terror. Disappointment. Concern. He was separated from the mother unit. It was a case of separation anxiety as the tears began to flow, the lungs filled with air, and the sound of disillusionment filled the air. His eyes searched frantically for the security of “Mom.”

We have all experienced this sort of situation, where our foundations are shattered as we try to get our footings, life is just that way. From the time we are born until, the time we call it quits, we don’t like being separated from our security.  Our lives are in disarray, shattered and uncertain until we reestablish contact. When mom shows up and sacrifices her pretty blue coat as a napkin for the chocolate, all is again well with the world.

That is the same insecurity that comes with regards to our spiritual life. When we are born we experience, or we should experience separation anxiety. We know our footing is uncertain. We are separated from our Creator, our Heavenly Father because sin has identified our lives. Our only way to resolve that is to accept the gift of God in His Son Jesus.  Jesus helps us to identify where our true security lies, in a restored and right relationship with our God.

The Bible tells us in Romans 8:35, 37-39,  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”…“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Wow! That is an amazing list of things that are pretty well able to separate. Yet, NOTHING is able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. That means that for those of us who have called God our Father because we have accepted His Son as the Christ, we never need to suffer separation anxiety ever again. We never need to be concerned about Him leaving us or forsaking us. He is always with us. We never need to look around in a panic wondering if God is with us. Nothing can separate us. The love of God is the strongest bond.

Be calm. Be content. Be secure. Enjoy sucking on the “chocolate bark” of life.

Just turn around and look. He is with you. Be aware of that this week.