Current events seem to becoming more and more unstable. It feels as though there is so much division between people and only negative stories everywhere you turn. On the positive side, this is just a sign of the end times and that Jesus’ return is imminent. This should prompt us to stay on guard during these times. It’s easy for us to look to the past and reminisce about how “good” it was back then. However, the Bible warns us against this line of thinking. In Luke 17:32, Jesus warns “Remember Lot’s wife”. As Lot’s family was leaving and heading off for the unknown, his wife did not follow what was instructed and looked back, probably longing what was “known and easy”. We need to guard ourselves from spending time looking back and stay focused on what God has laid out ahead of us.

Another coping mechanism we use for seeking relief in difficult times is to seek distractions as a means to numb or ease the pain. Paul warns us not to be like Esau in Hebrews 12:16. After coming back home extremely exhausted, Esau sold his birthright for a meal. He took the easy way out to ease his pain and as a result, forfeited what God had granted him as the first born in his family. Currently, we seek to numb our pain in many different ways, such as scrolling through our phones or dreaming about the next purchase we can make that will make our lives more enjoyable. These things aren’t necessarily sinful, but we are using them to avoid dealing with whatever is in our lives that God may be wanting us to learn from and give over to Him, for his Glory.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

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