Our Daily Bread: Picking Up the Pieces After Job LossCampione

A 19-MILE FALL: ON August 27, 1960, US Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger Jr. sat in a gondola suspended from a high-altitude balloon. When the balloon reached 102,800 feet above the surface of Earth (more than 19 miles), Kittinger jumped out. Four minutes and 36 seconds later his main parachute opened at 18,000 feet, but not before he had attained a velocity of 614 miles per hour! Kittinger carefully planned his record-setting descent. In the spiritual realm, we're more likely to find that life is filled with unexpected free falls. The loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, a terminated job, can make us feel as if we're dropping into the unknown. For believers, there is a spiritual "parachute," the loving arms of God. Thousands of years ago, Moses wrote these words to the Israelites just before he died: "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (DEUTERONOMY 33:27). The words "everlasting arms" refer to the protection and preservation of God's people. Despite the stressful circumstances they would surely face, they could rest in the assurance of God's watchful care. Do you feel as if you're in a free fall? Take heart. God's loving arms are there to catch you. -Dennis Fisher With God behind you and His arms beneath you