Perishables need to be preserved. We pickle them, we freeze them, we dry them – that’s what we commonly do for food to keep it from going bad. A similar experience holds true for the core of our being. We go through the heat of temptations, experience dry seasons and are exposed to all kinds of negativity and adversity. Trusting the Lord as we negotiate life’s challenges will shape our integrity.

Seedbed of corruption is isolation from the Lord. And in that respect we are not unlike perishables. We disintegrate just like food that is exposed to bacteria. So here comes King David’s recipe. Quoting from his insightful prayers, we read in Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the Bible:

 “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.”

Walking life’s bumpy road without God’s guidance is like negotiating the desert without water. The conscience God has put inside of us will give us some direction, but we won’t make it through this life in one piece with just our moral compass. We need to connect with God and stay connected to not get lost.

Looking back, the Lord has carried me through many difficult seasons in my life and I am grateful for that. At the time of this writing the whole world is grappling with social unrest and a pandemic that has not been contained as of yet; and as a result the mortality rate has risen exponentially. Beyond our physical expiration date we have a heart and soul that lives on, and I pray that we all find the Lord at such a time as this. He knows how to preserve us. We are safe in His hands.