Spiritual Virtigo...Snow globe theology?

"Vertigo (from the Latin vertigin-, vertigo, "dizziness," originally "a whirling or spinning movement," from vertō "I turn"[1]) is a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying while the body is actually stationary with respect to the surroundings.The effects of vertigo may be slight. It can cause nausea and vomiting and, in severe cases, it may give rise to difficulties with standing and walking." Wikipedia


My Brother-in-Law has vertigo. He was just riding his bicycle down the street (Okay I'll make it sound cooler) He was road racing down a fierce mountain... when all of a sudden he get's dizzy not just a little but like real wacky having to take all strength and stability to manage getting back home to call 911. He did not do anything to contract the inner ear virus but it just happened. It runs it's course in 10 days or so and he should be back in action road racing or bicycling to the doughnut shop whichever really transpired. Sorry Bro in advance.


This got me thinking about Christians who are impacted by a series of life's intrusions that cause extreme confusion. Like Job who looses all his livelihood and family and possessions then to have friends spend several days accusing him of some erroneous sin that he has never committed. So we then see in Chapter 38 that the first verse says, "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said."

Whirlwind? What is that all about? Is it a dust devil or tornado. In Japanese it is a storm. But in light of the definition of vertigo I thought that this might be the case "a whirling or spinning movement," the definition says which causes "a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying." Can this inner turmoil actually be a whirlwind within the mind a spiritual vertigo. Can we loose our sense of reality and balanced lifestyle and be thrust into chaos for God's glory? Perhaps?

I have a daughter who went through a heart transplant. It was a genetic disease or so we believe but the answers remain unanswered. We don't know why this all happened and what it means for the future but as we went through the wringer of emotions I came to a point of wanting to get off the craziness.

There comes that point in all our trials that we just want it to stop and we want off. We may even scream physically loud, "God get me off this roller coaster! NOW!" I did. It was at that time that the Lord spoke to me and revealed some special things about his character and nature. When we are out of control He is in control. Peter sinking in the water..."LORD HELP!" Jesus was in control. Job sitting in dust and ashes scrapping oozing sores with pottery...God speaks.

How about you? Are you in a trial? Great! That is wonderful. Now you can stop and listen and you will hear him tell you things you never knew. You may get angry with me and say, "What? you say I am suffering just to hear God? That's crazy?" Let me ask if you were listening before as intently as you are able to now?

My son sometimes will not look at me when I speak to him instructions about an activity that is a serious event. He must do these things for safety to others. He'll do the, "Yea Yea got it dad..." But but I will once in a while just grab him and look into his eyes and express the seriousness of the issue at hand. It seems in our most violent times of life the Lord is with us and comforting us even as we are loosing lunch and dinner and everything else... the Lord is with us and comforting us. Paul never thought a 10 pound boulder upside his head would be neat to try out some day. Come on Barny hit me with that boulder I want to...doiggggg. But we know Paul did suffer some severe afflictions and then considered it joy to suffer these things for our sake. What...that rock must have hit some sensitive stuff. Yet he did see heaven.

But as he goes on in his letter to the Corinthians we find there is now a ministerial call to share comfort with others. In 2 Corinthians 1 we find Paul saying, "Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."


In 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. The treasure in us is God. I am now wondering if we are not a snow globe and all the junk settles in our life and God must shake it up again to get people to look and go Ohh...Ahh Wow God is wonderful... Just a thought?

I know God loves each of us very much but we must remember God is God and he is sovereign and will do what it takes to bring himself the greatest glory. He did in Job's life...He did in Pauls life...I know he did in my life... How about your life? Is God at work? If he is then you can expect a shake up or two from time to time. Give him the glory great things he has done.

Note: My Brother-in-law was a great object lesson for me to write this but he is not the intended recipient nor is this in any way a commentary on my philosophy of why he is on a couch with vertigo. He was just food for thought that led me to think about food for faith...Nahum 1:3 "...the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [are] the dust of his feet."

The Lord has his way...and the clouds of dust are the witness of his activity... Hebrews 12:1 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

The clouds here are the saints of all the Christians who all went through struggles and trying times. We will all experience a shake up from time to time...expect it and then when it comes give him the glory no matter how bad you feel. Job said though he slay me yet will I trust him. Job 13:15. I want to do the same won't you? God bless