Last Friday, a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale rocked Japan. It triggered a tsunami whose effects were felt all the way across the Pacific Ocean in California. Thousands are missing, entire towns are now nothing but rubble, and Japan sits on the edge of nuclear disaster. It is a natural catastrophe of epic proportions. Its impact will be felt for years to come.
The earthquake struck at about two p.m. in the afternoon in Japan. That morning had been a regular morning for millions. They got up, went to work, talked to friends, made plans for the weekend, and thought that it was just going to be a regular day. Then the earth shifted, and life will never be the same.
We live in an unstable world. We get up in the morning with plans, priorities, dreams, and to-do lists, thinking that today is going to be just an ordinary day. Then the earth shifts. We pick up the phone, find the note on the counter, are handed a pink slip, receive the test result, hear the squeal of brakes, discover a lump, or open the mail. What seemed like an ordinary day just moments ago is shaken to its core. Our foundations shift, our eyes see differently, our priorities are realigned, and our hearts seem to beat to a different rhythm. It is an 8.9 on the reality scale, and life will never be the same.
Earthquakes, the physical ones that rocked Japan or the emotional ones that sneak into our worlds, don’t take God by surprise. He wants us to build our lives on the firm foundation of His love, the surety of His grace, and the rock-solid footing of His faithfulness. Faith won’t stop the earthquakes, but it will provide the security we need to deal with the disasters that hit us hard. It will give us a place to stand when things get shaky and unstable. He will hold us together when the rest of the world is falling apart.
My Jesus Resolution today is to remember that God is my Rock. My world may shift under my feet, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchanging in an ever-changing world. If everything else in my life falls apart, walks away, burns up, and disintegrates, God will still be there. He will still be there loving me, forgiving me, and transforming me. The earthquake may be an 8.9, but God will always be a perfect 10.
Casandra Martin 
Priceless! So good to be reminded of what really counts. As always you are right on. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for this wonderful article. My youngest daughter was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The disease has progressed so rapidly. She’s lost vision in one eye & now has difficulty walking. Needless to say, this event has been our 8.9 earthquake. But, we know that God is with us and there are many prayers being said on her behalf. We feel the strength of those prayers.