Just a-Passing Through
Wes & Judy Wick
Another new year with early reminders that we live in uncertain, turbulent times.
We finished 2024 with a couple local reminders, a first-ever Scotts Valley tornado and then a massive surf surge, leading to the Santa Cruz Wharf’s partial collapse.
But our local hardships paled in comparison to the fires that ravaged Southern California. Over and over, we heard people talking about the scale of these fires and how surreal it is to lose everything: homes, schools, churches, businesses.
Even residents accustomed to frequent foothill fires never anticipated the fires consuming entire cities and suburbs.
Their tragedy, along with several others already in 2025, challenge us once again to value and prioritize what’s important.
This world is not my home
I'm just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
We appreciate and thank God for our home. We hope it outlasts us, but we can’t live in fear of losing it. We want to be good stewards and not hang on too tightly. Our names might be on the property deed, but all we have belongs to God.
As believers we’re not immune from tragedy. May we learn from Job’s response to unfathomable suffering:
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.
Job 23:10-12 (NIV)
With special prayers for all who are suffering, may God give us all anchored and overcoming faith.