I’m not old yet, but I’m older than I used to be.  (Yes, I recognize that we can all make that claim.)  What I’m trying to say is that there’s some wear on the tires.  My body isn’t as spry and sleek as it used to be, but along the many miles I’ve traveled in life my noggin has accumulated a bit of wisdom.  Not a lot, mind you, but a little.

For example, I’ve learned that you absolutely should not leave the large tarp you purchased to cover the camping tents at home because there is no rain in the forecast.  In addition, I strongly advise that you do NOT attempt to slip your fishhook past the tree limb … even if you are an expert caster.  I definitely recommend that you clip your toenails before heading out on a long hike, especially if there are elevation changes.  (You may think this to be strange advice, but the day may come when you realize the profound wisdom in those words!)  And you never say never.  Never ever!  That’s just a small sampling of the hard truths I’ve learned through the years.

I’ve learned something else as well.  I’ve learned there is no such thing as “When things settle down.”  The context for the phrase usually sounds like this: “I’ll work on my marriage issues when things settle down (WTSD).”  Or, “I’ll spend more time with my children WTSD.”  Or, “I’ll get back in shape WTSD.”  Or, “Yes, something is definitely not right; I’ll go to the doctor WTSD.”  Or, “I’ll do something fun and relax WTSD.”

Where this nasty phrase really impacts negatively is when it’s used in a spiritual context.  Such as, “I’ll start reading my Bible WTSD.”  “I’ll get back to church WTSD.”  “I’ll work on my prayer life WTSD.”  “I’ll get more involved in ministry for God and more generous in my giving to God WTSD.”

You get the idea.  Only when we arrive in heaven will things finally (and forever!) settle down.  But here on this world, “when things settle down” is a lousy approach to life.

First of all, if one doesn’t set proper priorities, our sinful natures in conjunction with Satan and influenced by the world, will set them for us.  And we can be certain they won’t be in line with what the Lord encourages.

Secondly, there will never be a time when things settle down in our lives. 

Think about it.  From birth … to toddler … to child … to teen … to adult … to middle-aged … to elderly … to death, we are always changing.  As are the realities of our lives.  From nursing … to eating … to walking … to school … to puberty … to higher education … to moving … to occupations … to marriage … to home-ownership … to children … to health issues … to grandchildren … to retirement.  We all meander different paths and experience varied challenges in our lives, but we all share one common trait: our lives are always unsettled.

Certainly in the midst of this pandemic we are eager to reach a day when things settle down.  With God’s blessing, our lives will eventually regain more normalcy.  But even then, there will still be plenty of unsettled matters.  WTSD is an extinct beast; it died off when sin entered the world.

I spent far too many years and waited way too long for WTSD in my life.  I let improper priorities dominate.  I expected to reach the point “one of these days” when life would finally calm down.  I expected circumstances to stop changing sooner or later.  But, of course, life never really calms down and circumstances are constantly changing.  As a result, I missed wonderful opportunities and forfeited peace and joy because I was dealing with unsettledness.

Obviously I’m not advocating we turn a blind eye to significant issues or abdicate our responsibilities.  There are simply times when we must bear down in life.  But my observation is that these times aren’t as prevalent as we tend to think, and our priorities are frequently skewed.  We are typically slaves to the urgent instead of masters of the important.

“When things settle down” is one of Satan’s most common and most effective lies.  He’s used it to coax plenty of souls to their doom.  And he will utilize all his impressive power to ensure that things stay as unsettled as possible in our lives, because he knows how spiritually distracting this can be for Christians.

Our Savior has a different message. His counsel was this:  “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [that have you so unsettled] will be [taken care of for] you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34). 

Yes, that’s a bit of a paraphrase.  But I believe it still fits the context of Jesus’ advice and promise.  So here’s the key: when we settle our hearts and minds on God and the promises of God above all else, then the unsettled won’t unsettle us quite as much.