My
Great Shock Absorber
By
Elin Henderson
“…I know the Lord is
always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.”
Acts 2:25b (NLT)
Shock absorbers take on new meaning on the roads we
drive in Africa. We buy top-of-the-line shock absorbers and springs from South
Africa every year and are surprised how quickly they are destroyed. Between the
washboard roads, the potholes, the asphalt (or lack thereof), the rocks, sand
and dirt, our attempts to lessen the shock of driving in Africa becomes more
futile every year. Yet once in a while, I drive with someone else who does not
have the high quality shock absorbers that we do, and I am reminded that even
though the attempts appear futile, they are saving our body and truck from
being shaken apart.
At a recent workshop focused on crisis, a participant
shared a statement she had heard, “Jesus is our Great Shock Absorber.” Because
I have a vivid visual picture of life with and without good shock absorbers,
this struck me as being extremely true.
The roads of life
aren’t always pretty. Often, they are littered with holes, pitfalls, rough
spots, and downright BAD sections. The wear and tear of these crises on our
lives is significant and, over time, can be very destructive. Our only hope
lies in Jesus, our Great Shock Absorber. He can lessen the blows, blunt the
impact, and support us through and over every terrain. The choice is ours as to
whether we apply this reality to our lives, or continue on down the bumpy road
on our own.
May we grow more and more aware of the availability of
our Great Shock Absorber for whatever we are facing today, and not be shaken
apart by the roads of life.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Can you think of a time that you headed down
life’s bumpy road WITH and WITHOUT Jesus, the Great Shock Absorber? What was
the difference in how you experienced and came through that time?
2. How can we share the reality of our Great Shock
Absorber with others who are facing similar or worse terrains?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s
missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as
church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to twelve-year-old Callie and
ten-year-old Elias. They are currently in America on Home Assignment.
