Charles R. Swindoll - Strengthening Your Grip: How to Be Grounded in a Chaotic World

STRENGTHENING
YOUR GRIP

HOW TO BE GROUNDED IN A CHAOTIC WORLD

CHARLES R.

SWINDOLL

Copyright 1982, 1998, 2015 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.

Published by Worthy Books, an imprint of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 134 Franklin Road, Suite 200, Brentwood, Tennessee 37027.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotation are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) | Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers. | Scripture quotations marked niv1984 are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. | Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

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ISBN: 978-1-936034-74-1 (trade paper)

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Every decade possesses a particular characteristic. It comes into focus without announcement or awareness as the years unfold. Not suddenly, but quietly. Almost imperceptibly. Like random pieces of a puzzleeach a different shape and sizethe events and people and ideas of a decade begin to come together in a meaningful form. First a corner, then a side, finally the entire border falls into place. But the scene is not immediately clear.

Years must pass. As they do, more sections fit together, and meaningfulness starts to emerge. By the end of the decade, the seasoned picture is obvious, including the shading, harmony of colors, and even our feelings about the finished product. Every decade puts a frame around its own particular scene.

I was born in 1934. As I reflect on the decade of the 1930s through the lens of history (and discussion with those who were adults during that era), I get the distinct impression that it was a decade of idealism. Renewed hope clawed its way from beneath the devastation of the Great Depression. Optimism and diligence joined hands with determination, giving our country a needed boost out of the ominous shadows of the late 1920s.

I was a growing youngster in the 1940sa decade of patriotism. Nationalistic zeal reached its zenith as our boys slugged it out in Europe and the Far East. Simultaneous gasoline and food rationing, plus an unconditional commitment to win, gave us a feeling of pride and partnership as we rallied around the flag. Nobody, it seemed, questioned authority or tolerated the slightest action that smacked of insubordination. Babies born in the forties learned the pledge of allegiance as early in life as they learned the alphabet. Patriotism characterized the 1940s.

By the 1950s, I was a young man. My high-school years in East Houston could have been the perfect place to film Happy Days. My education continued, and a hitch in the Marine Corps, a new bride, and a change in careers marked those days in my life. Looking back, I have little trouble identifying that era. It was a decade of materialism, a time of dreaming, learning, earning, and succeeding. The good life became attainable to all who would work longer hours and push for the top. War was behind us and new frontiers were open to us if only we would pay the priceadvanced education and additional hours on the job. What we overlooked was the growing number of children and adolescents who got caught in the back-wash of our materialistic greed. They would sit down and be quiet only so long. The fuse burned shorter each year that decade. It was only a matter of time before the powder keg would blow.

Then came the 1960s. Who could ever forget the anger, the riots, the frenzy of the sixties? A decade of rebellion. A new music with a heavy beat made parents frown in disapproval and kids scream with excitement. The foundations of our new frontiers came unglued. Campus riots, civil-rights marches, political assassinations, the growing addiction to television, domestic runaways, sit-ins, drug abuse, unemployment, the threat of nuclear attack, and burning cities and draft cards made the presidents job a hell-on-earth nightmare. Snarling defiance replaced submissive allegiance. On top of it all was that weird war in Southeast Asiathe black eye on Uncle Sams facethe no-win wound that refused to heal. Nothing was quiet on the Western Front in the 1960s.

The overt rebellion of that stormy era led us, limping and licking our wounds, into the 1970s. Depressing folk songs and the strumming of a guitar had now become our national emblem. Increased passivity characterized much of the leadership in the 1970s as more of our youth began to rethink the work-hard-so-you-can-get-rich materialism mentality. Confusion began to replace confidence, ushering us into a decade of disillusionment. You name it, a question mark could be attached to it. The integrity of our Oval Office? The proper role of women? The need for national defense? Capital punishment? The media? The home? The school? The church? The prisons? The establishment? Nuclear energy? Ecology? Marriage? Education? Rights? And I may as well add: Purpose? Direction? Hope? We lost our grip on absolutes in the 1970s.

The aimless eighties taught us to seek security in wealth and happiness in possessions. Prosperity distracted us and kept us blissfully unaware of how far we were drifting from our biblical moorings. In the nineties, news became entertainment, reality took over television, and truth became a matter of opinion. The millennial decade put technology in our pockets and a world of information at our fingertips. As the Internet came of age, it became possible to hold any opinion and back it up with reams of support from a host of experts. Now, for all our prosperity, all our creature comforts, all our technology, and all our information, we still struggle to know our purpose, chart a clear direction, or find lasting hope.

As a communicator of Gods timeless truth, I must face current realities. We cannot remain aimless very long without encountering disaster. Gods eternal and essential principles must be firmly grasped and communicated if we hope to survive. None of them is new. But for too long, too many of them have been buried under the debris of tired clichs and predictable talk of yesteryear. Most people I know are not at all interested in religious bromides that come across in a dated and dull fashion. We need biblical fixed points to hang on tofirm, solid handles that will help us steer our lives in a meaningful manner. What we really want is something to grabbelievable, reliable truth that makes sense for todays generation, instructions on how to live confidently in an aimless world.