Nothing Means Nothing
When was the last time you were with someone who was completely convinced that something was true? Can you think of one? I sure can. Just this past weekend. We were playing a dice game with some friends called Qwixx. Every time we rolled the dice, we would roll a seven. Seriously, every time. Finally I said, “what are the odds that we would all keep rolling a seven?” My husband said, with 100% certainty, “about 17%.” We all looked at him like he was crazy. He went on to explain the probability of rolling a seven based on it being the exact middle of the possible combinations of dice when rolling two dice, yada, yada, yada. Seriously, he was so convinced that the probability was about 17% that we had to STOP the game and look it up. Imagine our surprise when we asked Siri the probability of rolling a seven when rolling two dice and Siri said, “the probability of rolling a seven when rolling two dice is 16.9%”. My husband just looked at us and said, “why would you doubt me?” And you know what? I didn’t have an answer for that. I really shouldn’t have doubted him. He’s a walking encyclopedia and he had NO REASON to make that up.
Paul kind of challenges us the same way in Romans 8 when he says, “I am convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God.” Another translation says “I am utterly convinced.” I love that. It’s like he is saying, why should we doubt God’s love for us? Has He ever given us a reason to doubt Him? Has He ever done anything that would shake our confidence that what God says He means? To know God is to place our complete trust in what He says. This type of confidence in the character of God is what truly needs to shape or inform our identity. Because to know the character of God to the point that we can be totally confident in what He says means my identity in Christ is secure SIMPLY because God says it is. It’s because of that – because God says it is true – that I can say with certainly that I am UTTERLY convinced that nothing can separate me from the love of God.
And then the verse really hits home. Paul talks about the big things – the obvious things – death, life, angels, demons, even the power of hell…but then he brings it home. He says not even the day to day things, the fear of today or the worry of tomorrow. I don’t know about you but if anything gets in my head, it’s usually not the big things like death, life, angels and demons, it’s the daily things like fear of something I need to do, fear of something I don’t understand, fear about what could happen tomorrow. Or it’s the anxiety of not knowing something, anxiety of where I’m going to find a new sponsor for work, anxiety over the uncertain times we are in. It’s those intangible things that get in my head and make me start to question what God is up to, is He ever going to end this, does He see what is happening in our world, etc.
I think that’s why Paul couches the daily right in the middle of the big life events. He’s reminding us that nothing means nothing. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. He’s reminding us of our identity in Christ and our position as a daughter of the King. Life, death, fear and anxiety. They all fall in the same category in God’s perspective, the category of not strong enough or powerful enough or big enough to make a dent in God’s love for His children. Nothing means nothing.
I don’t know about you, but that brings a great comfort to my soul and helps me to stand more confidently, utterly convinced that nothing this world throws at me will ever be able to separate me from the love of God. And that my sweet friend, you can roll the dice on because the probability of that statement being true is 100%! Why? Because when God says nothing, He means nothing.
Robin Smith has a passion for equipping people to see their strengths and to lead with their unique God given gifts. Robin has always had a strong tie to her church, community and work. That tie is in the form of relationships. Her greatest joy is to do life together, encouraging, strengthening and challenging each other to be their very best and reach their full potential. Robin has been the Program Director for Refuge for Women since February 2017. She has overseen all the operations of our safe house and spent her days inside the home building relationships with the residents and helping them not only see their potential, but overcome the obstacles standing in the way of them reaching their potential. For15 years, prior to coming to Refuge for Women, Robin worked in higher education, focusing on developing student leaders and equipping students with the skills they need to be successful in the pursuit of their education and careers. Prior to that, Robin was a Salvation Army officer and served in full time ministry in various locations throughout the Midwest. Robin’s focus was always serving, equipping and developing others. In 2006, the Lord began to work in Robin’s heart and plant a love for women who are trapped in the sex-industry. This passion was formed through Robin’s involvement with student mission trips to Las Vegas. In 2010, Robin began the Hearts for Jackson ministry in Jackson, Michigan reaching out to women who work in strip clubs. Robin’s heart was broken for these women and she started this ministry to bring them hope and love with a goal of showing the love of Jesus in a practical way. Each month, Robin led a group of women from her church into the strip clubs where they simply loved on the women. They brought them gifts, told them they were special & loved and offered a listening ear. Robin brings her heart and passion to Refuge for Women and is excited to be stepping into this new role of City Director where she will be partnering with the local churches, Las Vegas community, and most importantly, Jesus, in this crucial ministry. Robin and her husband Homer have been married for 33 years and currently reside in Henderson, NV. They attend the ChurchLV and they enjoy God’s creation by hiking, walking, or simply enjoying the sun with a good book. They have two children and three grandchildren. Robin holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Development, also from Spring Arbor University.