Can Steadfastness be a Reality?
Her face is etched in pain. Usually a happy, vibrant person, it is if the light has been snatched from her life. The grief washes over her as she comes to grips with the terrible diagnosis. Her husband of many years is dying and the doctors predict it will happen quite soon.
How do we move forward when life is turned upside down? Where do we find solace and strength when turmoil reigns in our lives? It is a subject I speak of frequently as none of us is immune to the effects of sin in our world. We need constant reminders of how to deal with life’s challenges.
Anger is an emotion that easily surfaces at times like these. Why him? Why now? Why must he and his family suffer so much?
Becoming entrenched in anger mode is not the way to go, however. It is a trap that seeps energy from our lives. It creates havoc with our emotions, our relationships, and our general well-being.
How do we keep from getting mired in anger when life hurts us greatly? The prophet Isaiah has a good recommendation:
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV)
We have a choice to make when faced with the rough spots in life. We may choose to be angry at God…the world…and those around us for allowing tough circumstances to invade our lives. Or…we can steadfastly keep our mind focused on the Lord.
The latter is extraordinarily difficult to do.
Have you ever watched a gruesome scene in a movie or television show and had that picture run through your brain for days? Our brains hold onto those images and they infiltrate our thinking.
It takes a lot of other positive images to outweigh the negative ones. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can shift our focus from the pain and turmoil to our Heavenly Father.
What we focus our mind on is what takes precedence in our lives. Focusing on Jesus and the hope and peace He brings is essential to navigating the challenging waters in our lives.
It’s easy to look at the Lord as being the bad guy – after all, He is taking our loved one away from us we say or allowing the difficulties in our lives like job loss or infertility or relationship issues. We get hurt, upset, or frustrated. We plead with God to spare our loved one or remove the pain from our lives, but He doesn’t always.
That’s where we need to go back to what Isaiah is saying. It is a trust issue. In order to come through the challenging waters of life, we need to trust and believe that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. He promises not to give us more than we can bear.
When I would sit crying in my car after being brutalized by someone who should have cared for me, it was difficult to trust, to hope… The why questions came often. The answer did not come easily then, but I know it now. I have seen God’s hand at work in my life. He has shaped and moulded me through these trials. I carry a strength with me that I never had before, because God asked me to face the difficulties, rather than avoid them.
It helps to remember and look back at our personal history and see that God has been there to lead us and guide us. We haven’t been left alone. If we really think about, we can see where God has made a difference in our lives.
Dear friend, I know that sometimes life hurts so bad. Open your heart and mind to God speaking to you. He will show you the way to go. He has promised and He keeps His promises. Put your trust in the only One who can make a true difference in your life and give you His perfect peace.
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