On What Do You Bet Your Life?

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Walter Bouman, a giant in the Lutheran church's history, used to ask his students, "what would you bet your life on?"

Dr. Bouman was part of the "Seminary in Exile" or "Seminex" movement. This was a group of seminary professors and students who formed their own seminary after many professors had been investigated for teaching "false doctrine." It was an incredibly trying time, as these professors and students left not only their seminary, but eventually their denomination. The Seminex movement would eventually lead into the AELC, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, which in 1988 united with two other church bodies to form the ELCA (of which St. Luke is a part). The picture with this devotion is from one of the rallies that the Seminex students and professors held. Read more about the Seminex movement here if you are interested.

The reason I give the brief history is that Dr. Bouman's question to us as his students had many stories behind it; stories of times when many of the other things on which his life rested were removed. Denominational identity. Source of income. Support systems. There were many times in his life, as in all of our lives, when the proverbial "rug" had been pulled out from underneath him, and his question became fresh and new again; "on what do I bet my life?"

We all face these times. In fact, one of the things that unite us as people is that things are always changing. Sometimes, those changes are positive, as troubling circumstances pass. But sometimes, those changes feel like loss, as things on which our identity used to be based pass away.

Someday, my own health changes will mean I can no longer play racquetball, something I deeply enjoy now. Will I have the grace to accept these changes? Someday, I will be the oldest generation in my family. Will I have the trust to lean on a source of Love larger than my parents? Someday, I will lay down the identity of "pastor" and retire. Will I still be grounded in God's infinite love for me and know that regardless of the titles I bear, "child of God" is the one that never leaves?

Today, the scripture above is nudging me to ask the question, "what do we bet our lives on?" What consumes our time and energy? What forms the basis for our identity? Is it sports? Those are great while they last, but they will pass. Is it career? That can be fulfilling while it lasts, but that will pass. Is it the relationships in our lives? Those truly come to define us, but can also change at any point.

Today, may we have the deep peace that comes from God alone; that no matter what changes, God moves through the changes to bring new life. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. Why? Because he who has promised is faithful. Indeed, he who has promised is the thing on which I bet my life.

PRAYER:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, the wisdom to know the difference, and the trust that you hold me through it all. Amen.