The Original Reference Point
February 19, 2009
Greetings, Prayer Team!
Some time ago, never mind how long precisely, the clock on my computer began keeping the wrong time. I corrected it multiple times, to no avail. It skipped along ahead, sometimes more, sometimes less, much like an unruly puppy.
The wall clock behind me, however, steadily ticked away, offering a firm hand whenever I needed its guiding strength.
Eventually, some unknown power in the computer world re-set whatever it needed to re-set, and the clock seemed stable once again. I returned my eyes to my original reference point on the computer screen, and worried over its accuracy no more.
Which moment would have been the end of the story, had not my wall clock lost battery power a few days later. Because it slowed about the same amount as my computer’s clock had sped the week before, I again thought my computer had the problem. Checking against my cell phone clock, however, I soon realized the problem was in the wall clock this time and changed the battery.
The whole experience dizzied me more than you might imagine. In a small way, but a very important way, I felt disoriented, unsure of my surroundings, unsure of reality and truth—and it occurred to me how vital it is to find and choose a stable reference point that would never falter or fail.
It’s a bit like being a child in modern society. Myriads of things compete for the attention, the focus, while the little ones lay the foundations for the rest of their lives. They need reliable reference points in their parents and churches, and where possible, in their classrooms. Even these will prove unsteady at times, unless they direct the eyes heaven-ward and offer a vision of the only true and faithful Guide there is.
As I write this morning, the KEEP Board meets. As they humbly serve the children and families in our conference, let us pray that God will grant them wisdom in guiding the KEEP program, so that its influence may be stabilizing and nourishing, upholding what is true.
On behalf of Patsy Wagner,
Heidi C. Corder
Assistant, Office of Philanthropy
