Life can feel vicious. Choices abound. Tough decisions to make. Wisdom hard to find. Sin complicates. And, Providence confuses.
In both a conversation yesterday and on a friend’s social media post, I was reminded of life’s difficulties as I lay down in bed. I don’t suggest rehearsing those as you go to bed though – although it gave me time to pray.
Back to the opening paragraph. God’s providence often produces moments, seasons, and paths of life that do not match the desires in our heart. Sometimes, dramatically different. Instead, we deal with disappointment, fatigue, and sorrow. Of course, being that each follower of Jesus also must fight the flesh in the Spirit, we also can easily allow disappointment, fatigue, and sorrow to turn into anger, sinful frustration, and sinful sorrow. Where we would all like to say as Jesus, “Not my will but Yours be done,” many of us say something much less. Our human desires tag-team the flesh and leave us miserable at times as we walk in the flesh instead of the Spirit (even though our desire is to, in fact, walk in the Spirit).
Possibly you are here today or have been here in the past.
Capturing the Moment
A picture captures a moment in time. Just days ago, flipping through the Easter pictures my family took outside in the wind, they were hilariously bad. Between the sun in the eyes of the youngest, the wind upending my hair, and a few closed eyes along the way, the moment each of the pictures caught in a snapshot was less than sharable. Yet, the pictures faithfully caught that moment. They were not the totality of what was going on in context, yet each was that split second of it.
Life can be hard. For most of us, in one way or another, we would confess that life is hard. Vicious. Twists and turns along the pathway of life can leave us feeling much more than simply motion sick. Instead, we lose our spiritual balance, develop tunnel vision, and can only remember how miserable we are.
While I write this, please do not read me minimizing the sorrow, troubles, or suffering. Certainly not. These can be stifling. Along the way though, as these things come along our path, we can be overwhelmed by them.
The combination of all these things leaves us making very difficult choices. Sometimes we face multiple choices without a seemingly good one. Tough decisions must be made in the midst of turbulent times. Wisdom seems hard to find.
If we are not careful, our sin complicates all of this. As strugglers, in the midst of all of the pain, sorrow, discouragement, difficulties, and disappointments, we sin. Our thoughts, emotions, and affections betray a deeper struggle with our strong passions and desires. The words we use and the things we do reflect that struggle. Plus, the thoughtlessness and carelessness of others while we are in the midst of this can also devastate.
Life is hard on this side of eternity.
What do we do?
Great question, right?
Let me suggest some key responses that we can have when life seems a bit overwhelming.
Begin with Your Thoughts about God
Fight for your life in your thinking. You will need to remind yourself regularly of what is true. By regularly, I mean maybe, at times, on the hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour. Recall specifically what the Bible says in Romans 8 about God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Read through 1 Peter over and over. Maybe Genesis 37-50 and the story of Joseph will help you. These and other texts will benefit your mind as you move through the trial. Since they will, intentionally set out to review this. The thoughts and intents of your heart powerfully impact your emotions, other thinking, and your affections. Since they do, target your thoughts for renewing your mind in the Scriptures.
Remember the Difference Between Worry and Concern
Since we know that God providentially works in our lives, as we remind ourselves in Romans 8, we functionally apply this truth through trusting God. In places where we do not trust God, we will naturally slip into worry. Expressing and living with godly concern over an issue is wise. However, when our concern begins to control our thinking, our acting, or our emotions, it easily shifts from godly concern to sinful worry. As it shifts, our circumstances grow dimmer. Although we often tell people that God’s grace is sufficient, which it is, when an individual chooses worry, God’s grace enables them to trust, it does not enable them to worry. Therefore, as they choose worry and practice worrying, they live outside the functional benefit of enabling grace. In other words, the individual steps outside of any sense of God’s grace in that moment.
Instead, we must trust God with those things for which we are concerned and carefully obey God in those areas where we are responsible. The more we pay attention to what we are to do, versus on the things we are concerned about but have no control over, the more our pressure decreases. To the extent then that we focus on our responsibility in the midst of the pressure, rather than the parts of the pressure over which we have no control, the more we will enjoy God’s grace to help us in the midst of the trouble.
Track the Small Opportunities for Faithfulness
As you seek to manage each day and “make it through,” do your best to track the small opportunities each day in the midst of doing life to demonstrate faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Let me make a few suggestions of various places where that may be possible:
- Ask God to grant you wisdom. When you face a particularly tough circumstance, ask God to help you apply the Bible well, to discern between what is good and/or better, and to grant you good insight.
- Look for dew drops of God’s grace. Try to notice those places where the breeze feels good, the sunlight warms, the colors pop, or where someone is kind. In these and many more instances, try to be grateful on the spot. Notice it and be grateful for it.
- Seek to demonstrate patience with those to whom you have a conflict, disagree with, or are part of the pressure. In the process, also seek to be patient with God’s plan as it unfolds around you.
- If you are needing to forgive someone, immediately begin moving that direction in your heart as you prepare to forgive as soon as you can.
- As you can, look for small ways to serve others even as you undergo your own pressure. I find this helps me keep my focus on more than just simply the agony of my pressure.
- Look for next step in your life that would honor God and exalt Christ, then take that step by faith
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Image Credit Javier Allegue Barros
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
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