Are You in Good Hands?

Are You in Good Hands?

There are many commercials that use our fears in order to entice us to buy into their brand, but the first brand that came to my mind was the insurance company Allstate, and their popular series of mayhem commercials. Each commercial targets a specific “mayhem” that causes damage or accidents, such as an out of date GPS, or screaming toddlers. The commercial then presents the idea that your cheap deductible insurance might not cover the damage from these accidents, resulting in a large bill that you must pay. Allstate is then presented as the better choice, and the commercial closes with the question, “Are you in good hands?”

These commercials play on our fear of protection by planting the idea that we are not as fully covered as we would like to think. This then prompts us to consider Allstate, so that we will be in “good hands.” This reveals that our culture is concerned with managing our lives. We like to have a sense of control, and the commercial takes advantage of this by forcing us to question the extent of our insurance coverage. We attempt to do everything within our power to oversee every aspect of our lives, but ultimately, mayhem does happen. Insurance companies represent our attempts to restrain the effects of the mayhem of life. By questioning the extent of our insurance coverage, we are ultimately questioning the extent of our authority.

To be human is to attempt to have a sense of authority over our lives and our futures. As humans, we have a deep desire for control, as evidenced by the way in which we dictate nearly every possible aspect of our lives. We can manage everything from the color of our hair to the music we listen to. We resent changes to our routines, which disrupt our sense of authority over our lives. Even an aspect of our lives that is not under our manipulation, such as the weather, is “predicted.” This eliminates the surprise of a storm, which gives us a false sense of management.

As Christians, we do not have to worry about controlling our lives. In fact, the Bible stresses the importance of yielding our lives to God. The following verse from Matthew 10:39 (New Living Translation) reminds us that we find true meaning in our lives once God has supremacy, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” We do not have to worry and stress about every possible “mayhem” that can occur. Instead, Christians can rest in the promise that “God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19, NIV).” Things do not always go according to our plans, and mayhem does happen, but we have assurance that everything is under God’s control. We might like to have the feeling of authority, but once we realize that God’s plans for our lives are far better than any plans we could achieve on our own, it becomes easier to yield jurisdiction of our lives to the Lord. Isaiah 54:10 assures us that, even when things appear to be falling apart around us, God’s “plan” provides coverage, “’Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you (NIV).” There is no need to ever worry about the “coverage” the Lord provides. The words of Jesus in John 10:28 provides assurance that we “are in good hands”: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand (NIV).” Are you in good hands?