A Supernatural Response
In this life, rain WILL fall. It rains on the just and the unjust. Because we live in a fallen world, nothing works the way it’s supposed to. Children die, jobs are lost, violence rages…it’s not right and it’s unfair—enter God. If you follow Jesus, you have to lose your life, to gain life. If you don’t think serving God is hard, maybe you’re reading the wrong book! In Mark 10, it says that no one who sacrifices anything in the name of Jesus will lose out; there will still be troubles, but the bonus is eternal life.
There is no growth without struggle. We see it in nature and we accept it. We know you don’t help a chicken come out of its egg; it makes the hatchling stronger. Baby turtles have to crawl from their nests to the shore, which to them must seem like a 100 miles. Butterflies have to struggle to leave their cocoon. So, if it’s right for them, why do we expect our lives to be struggle-free? We need to remember that most of the time, we have NO control over the things that happen to us, but we DO have complete control over how we respond. Our response to our trials largely determines our spiritual growth—or lack thereof.
Sadly, we fall into a victim mentality when we’re battling life, but as believers, if we’re reading the Book with open eyes and ears, we should be productive in our pain…what can we learn from it? A victim cries, “why did this happen to me, life is not fair.” A believer with a student mentality says, “what happened to me could happen to anyone; Lord, what are you trying to teach me?” A victim spends so much time having a pity party, they don’t have time for others. A student focuses on helping others so they don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves.
Everything we go through is for our learning so that we can help other people. James 1:2-3 says “consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds…the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” This is NOT a natural response; it’s a supernatural response…a conscience decision to choose joy. J.B. Philips said “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!” Consider it pure joy…this doesn’t mean you laugh and do cartwheels when a loved one passes or that you are happy when bad things happen. Joy is more than that. Joy is a deeper satisfaction that comes from knowing that God is in control even when our circumstances seem to be out of control.
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is time for everything under the sun, and one of those is mourning. When we face tragic situations, of course we grieve, and everyone grieves a little differently. But when we become absorbed with grief for extended periods of time, it can begin to monopolize us; we can become distant with family and God and it can paralyze us both physically and mentally, to where we stop living. When we’ve done all we can do and bad things still happen, we must find comfort in knowing God has a bigger plan and that we will be stronger for our suffering.
So how do you guard yourself from becoming a victim? First, remind yourself of the promises of God. Second, give thanks, even if you can only find something small to be thankful for. Next, refuse to give in to bitterness and despair. Yes, it’s hard, no one said it would be easy. Fourth, choose to believe in God. “Blessed are those who haven’t seen and yet believe.” And last, make up your mind to go on with life. In a life where God gave us free will, we must CHOOSE to move on. In the world, our natural response to tragedy is doom and gloom. CHOOSE to have a supernatural response!