“The American nation will soon be in a state of nervous collapse..." So said the 1969 British writer Tom Stacey in the London Daily Telegraph. If we are on the verge of a nervous collapse, it is because we have added to our lives a multiplicity of activities without keeping pace morally and spiritually.
We cannot be ever achieving new powers, enlarging our opportunities, widening our liberties, and everywhere complicating our lives unless we correspondingly strengthen our moral and spiritual foundations. To do so is to invite an emotional disaster.
I've observed that life is like a tent, a tree, and a building.
Life is like a tent. Isaiah once said, “Lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes” (Isaiah 54:2). Otherwise the tent will collapse under the strain. It is so with our lives. As our cords of interest are stretched, so must our trust in God go deeper.
Life is also like a tree. Branches demand roots. The longer the branches reach out, the deeper the roots must sink into the ground. Otherwise a storm will topple it. As our lives branch out into more and more things, our roots of faith must sink deeper into God.
Life is like a building. The higher the superstructure, the stronger the foundation must be. You can build a house on concrete blocks or cedar posts, but not a skyscraper. It demands a deep, solid foundation. As we add more and more to our lives, we must be sure we are built on the solid rock of Christ.
There is nothing—absolutely nothing—that can steady us against the stresses and strains of life like personal, vital faith in the Lord. Try it. It has worked for millions.