Good-To-Go… Hello weekend readers. In a few days, Al and I will be off duty for 2 weeks and we cannot wait to head up to Ouray, Colorado and explore. So, on this Labor Day Monday, we are getting the Mini-Lite trailer ready, putting in our clothing, food, dog-food, and a variety of clothes and ‘stuff’ you need when camping. I want us to be ‘good to go’ early on Tuesday morning.

My musings on that phrase, ‘good to go’ found its roots in an interesting story from my favorite Smithsonian emails. I never thought of the Smithsonian being useful for writing devotions, but it is—in so many revealing and surprising ways! Again, I tip my hat to the Holy Spirit who nudges me to read and learn. (She’s a mothering pest sometimes!)

So here is this interesting story from 500 years ago! At that time sailors feared the horizon. They felt that if they sailed too far, they would risk falling off the edge—yep, at that time a huge bunch of folks believed the world was flat! Also, at that time, the Spaniards held dominion over both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar. They stopped people from using it unless they could pay up—in gold bullion. No gold, no pass. If you tried anyway, they literally would ‘take you out and kill you.’ Yikes!

The Straits of Gibraltar, at its narrowest margin, was where Africa can see Europe. So, the Spaniards decided to erect the ‘Pillar of Hercules’— a huge marker that bore in its stone “No More Beyond.” You can almost feel the fear of the sailors if that got too close. When did the flat-earth end for the sailors? In 1492 when Columbus discovered the new world. And that opened the western doors of Spain. You know what they did? They took that Latin phrase they chiseled into the Pillar of Hercules, “No More Beyond,” and removed the first word, and changing the slogan to “More Beyond” and also imprinted it onto their coins. The world and their sailors could be sure that the earth was round and they wouldn’t fall off into oblivion! They were now “good-to-go” on any of the seas of the world.

This made me think of our lives. We may not be afraid of falling off the earth, but how many other things that we encounter create fear? Here’s is Chapman University’s latest top 5 things that create fear, worry and the loss of hope that people of faith encounter:

  1. Economic financial collapse
  2. US becoming involved in another World War
  3. Not having enough money for my future
  4. Dying, both self or a loved one
  5. Cyber-terrorism and biological warfare

Are you surprised by some of these fears? I was, but the study had a large proportion of the 20–50-year-olds who are more skeptic of what is happening in our country and world. A lot of us oldies are a bit more stalwart in our faith knowing that God is still secure on the throne.

But think about it: we were made for “More Beyond” whether we know or not what ‘beyond’ may be for us. In fact, we were made to explore what happens next. Why? Because stamping out fear will only happen if we have hope in God! Psalm 42:11 (Voice) is powerful and it can ease our fears and remind us of hope: “Why am I so overwrought, why am I so disturbed? Why can’t I just hope in God? Despite all my emotions, I will believe and praise the One who saves me, my God.”

Tying this up is really about HIM—our God, our Savior, our Holy Spirit who tends to us daily, pushing us beyond and filling us up with hope, determination and the promise that no matter flat, round, up, down, sideways—we will not fall out of God’s hands. Instead, every moment of every day we are good-to-go! AMEN!