When my dad was a young adult, he recorded several TV shows onto VHS tape. As a child, I watched these recordings and developed a love for old shows like The Lone Ranger and Hogan’s Heroes. The recordings also included the old commercials, so I am more familiar with old marketing slogans than most people my age. One of the commercials I remember was for Calgon bath powder. In it, a mother is feeling overwhelmed by her energetic children, so she yells out, “Calgon, take me away.” The next scene shows her taking a bubble bath (Don’t worry, she was well-covered by the bubbles). All of life’s chaos and stress have melted away because she used Calgon.
If you are like me, you have been wishing for a Calgon moment. You wish there was somewhere you could go to get away from it all. You wish you didn’t have to face the world we currently live in. You wish you could forget about social distancing, masks, violence, and politics. You wish things could just get back to normal.
Maybe you wish for the good ol’ days, when the TV shows and the commercials were better – when life seemed simpler. But if you think about it, the good ol’ days weren’t that good either. There was still stress, struggles, violence, disease, famine, and poverty. Ever since sin came into our world, these things have been a constant.
In this crazy, discouraging world, God invites us to take a Calgon moment. It’s not a bubble bath where we pretend there is nothing wrong with the world. Instead, He helps to put the pressures and pains of this world into proper perspective as we focus on Who He is and what He has promised. God’s Calgon moment is time that you spend with Him as you read His Word and respond in prayer.
Here are some examples of how God’s Word applies to the struggles we are facing.
· In the last year, our world has changed in ways that we do not like. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”[i] When nothing else seems stable, we can still rely on Him.
· It is hard to see any good coming from Covid-19 and political unrest. Romans 8:28 promises, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” You can trust that in all of this, God is at work for your benefit. It might not be what you would think of as good, but God knows what is truly good for you.
· The world seems out of control. Psalm 121:2-3 says, “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” God is still in control. The events of 2020 have not caught Him by surprise.
· The future seems uncertain. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us of what is certain. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Because Christ died and rose again, we know that our salvation is certain. Instead of a Calgon moment, we can look forward to a Calgon eternity, where we will not longer deal with the mess of this world. ““Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4).
These are just a few examples of how truths from Scripture help to ground us when we wish things were different. Taking a moment in God’s Word each day will refresh and strengthen you as you focus on God and His faithfulness.
[i] All Scripture citations from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.