I’ve yet to meet anyone who didn’t at the least, get a little red faced when something seemingly negative confronted them.
A bad day at work…a fight with a spouse…an unexpected bill comes due…a business is barely keeping its head above water…your girlfriend breaks up with you…a suspicious lump shows up on your body…your kid gets sent home from school after getting in trouble…your car breaks down.
All these things would probably have us all on edge at the onset of each occurrence. And while I’m not saying such a person does not exist, I’ve never actually met anyone who in the face of some unexpected negative circumstance, immediately take it in stride and say, “you know, I’m glad my car broke down,” or “I’m so stinkin’ thrilled my boss fired me today!”
That just rarely if ever happens, right?
We panic…we get anxious…we stress and worry….we bite our finger nails down to nothing…we blow our tops like, George Costanza.
And then (if we’re not careful) we can let things go too far, can’t we?
We take these emotions and we dwell on them…we allow them to overtake our hearts and frail our will. Before we know it we’re losing our tempers and lashing out at friends and family. There is no hope…only trouble in our minds and we fear the hole we’re in will never fill…but only get deeper.
We’ve all been there, right? It happens for each of us at different times…life comes out of nowhere and knocks us for a loop. What will we do? Will we sit still and dwell on what happened? Or will we find the faith and courage to stand up and trust God to give us a better outcome.
Because that’s what we’re all looking for in these situations, right? That better outcome…
I think of Abraham in the book of Genesis. In chapter 22 God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac to Him on Mount Moriah. I’ve read so many different translations of this story and in each one I’m always amazed how Abraham simply does what he is told without question. I mean, I can’t help but think that when God tells Abraham to kill his son, that initially Abraham didn’t freak out a little…that he didn’t let panic seep into his heart just a touch. Or that while Abraham and Isaac traveled to Mount Moriah Abraham didn’t think, “God, is this really what you want me to do? Kill my son?”
But maybe that’s the point…maybe Abraham’s internal dialogue is not mentioned in Scripture because whether you’re Abraham, Apostle Paul, or Billy Graham, we’re all going to feel troubled in difficult situations…we’re all going to stress, worry, get ticked, or scream in the midst of trouble. But Scripture makes it a point to dwell on the obedience of Abraham.
Honestly, we shouldn’t have to be told that Abraham was probably fearful of what God told him to do…instead we should focus on what his faith compelled him to do in the midst of those difficult emotions. Abraham pushed on…and in the end He had faith that God would provide a better outcome.
The same can be true for all of us.
God will provide a better way no matter what the circumstance.
But understand that that “better way” might not be on the easiest traveled road.
Nothing is certain in this life…except Jesus.
And He paid the ultimate price…for the ultimate better outcome for everyone.
How can we say we’ve shared in His suffering, if every time life gets hard or something unexpected happens, we let ourselves be taken over by that circumstance and we turn from God?
We are human and as such we are an emotional creation, and I know God realizes that. I don’t think feelings of doubt, stress, worry, panic, and anger are wrong for us to feel in any situation. In fact I think we should all probably expect that these emotions WILL occur.
But are you going to let them rule you? That’s the question.
As I face these emotions in my own life, I pray you my brothers and sisters would stand strong in the Lord, and trust that He’s going to lead you to that better outcome we’re all searching for.
It’s Him….It’s Him.
