Sometimes life doesn’t live up to
our expectations. We believe what we hear in history class that we have the
right to the American Dream. Our parents assured us that if we do everything
right, we will be aptly rewarded. We sang Sunday school bible songs about good
character and strong faith and knew that we would have God’s protection over
our life and plans.
As we age, that façade starts to
fall. It might start with our first broken heart or our first failed exam. Soon
we find ourselves miles away from the rich, happy and successful stereotype of
the American Christian, and no amount of positive thinking and Instagram
inspiration can save us from the real struggles within.
Sometimes marriages end in divorce.
Sometimes pregnancies end too
early
Sometimes the temptation is too
great.
Sometimes the insecurity is too
strong.
Sometimes the dream is out of
reach.
Now, the point of this post is not
to give in to hopelessness. Rather, there are three things I do intend for you
to do with it that will help you see past current circumstances.
First, breathe. Breathe in the
stifling air that tragic, life-upending circumstances bring. Allow the tears to
soak into the carpet beneath your knees and know that the Lord loves you just
as much in the valley as on the mountaintop. Be thankful that we have a God who
doesn’t stand above the pit yelling “I told you so” but sits with us in the
muck and mire. He is the “God Who Sees Me.” This is the name Hagar gives the
Lord when he came to her in the desert as she sobbed helplessly, fearing for
her and her child’s life. The Lord sought her out, not once, but twice when her
world seemed to be ending. Sweetly, tenderly, he loved her and Ishmael, and
that knowledge was enough for her to carry on (Genesis 16; Genesis 23).
The second thing to do is pray. Whisper
a pray of failure. Or scream it aloud. Cry, scream, plead, or blame. It is all
allowed at the throne of God. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not
have died,” Mary admitted her disappointment in the Lord when Lazarus succumbed
to death. Jesus did not reproach her. He did not throw his hands in the air and
leave. He did not call her weak or tell her that many other people have lost
loved ones, too. Instead, he wept with her (John 11:35). The Holy Spirit still
weeps with us, groaning in tragedy and emitting furious, hot tears in
injustice, when the sin of others causes our pain.
The third thing to do is to
acknowledge that your story is not over. As Christians, victory over the
darkness is inevitable. One day, we will overcome every obstacle, every
insecurity, every fear, because we trust the Lord who has overcome the world.
In my experience, most of these victories occur as our feet still grace the
earth. Still, some victory won’t be felt fully until we are inside Heaven’s
gate. On that sweet day, all striving will be over. I will just be me, restored
and whole, just as God intended in the beginning.
Beyond those three things, I can’t
advise whether you should keep pushing to save the marriage, battle the enemy,
or pursue the dream. There is no single answer that will suffice except to seek
the Lord, like Jehoshaphat, when he was surrounded by three armies fueled with
bloodlust for he and the Israelites (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). On what he saw as the veritable eve of his
death, he chose to worship the Lord, saying “Lord we don’t know what to do, but
our eyes are upon you.” While they worshipped, the Lord turned the armies
against each other and Jehoshaphat and his people had peace on all sides.
While the Bible doesn’t promise
that the Lord will heal, save, and restore in our time on Earth, it does
promise that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us in our times of trial.
In that promise, peace may be
found.
“And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 20b
No comments:
Post a Comment