Tasting Adversity and Drinking Affliction

Regardless of social status or professional ability, adversity will eventually cross everyone’s path. Although difficult to accept, trouble does not have to be the worst thing you’ve experienced. Francis Bacon wrote, "While prosperity is not without many fears, adversity is not without comfort or hope."

The real test of character determines if you become embittered and lose hope. When God's people suffer immensely, he gives them these words of hope, "O my people, you shall weep no more for I shall be gracious to you. Although you are given the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, I your God will be your teacher."

Trouble and adversity will draw you closer to God and increase your dependency on him for help. The chance to re-evaluate the purpose and direction your life has taken becomes a requirement when trouble rattles your status quo. Adversity opens your mind to prayer by realizing life is so fragile you need God’s help to survive. God will help you. 

_______________________

The Lord is compassionate, and when you cry to him for help, he will answer you. The Lord will make you go through hard times, but he himself will be there to help you, and you will not have to search for him any more. If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”

~Isaiah 30:19-21 Good News Bible

When Trouble Comes Knocking

Trouble is no respecter of persons. It may come in the best of times or on the wings of a storm with explosive sound and fury. It’s presence, however, cannot be ignored or denied. Some people try to avoid trouble by refusing to believe it exists, even when it's no longer knocking at the door but has come barging in.

Hiding from trouble is like hiding from the truth. Eventually reality becomes evident and cannot be denied. When I was a teenager, several hogs broke out of a holding pen and scattered over the countryside. Hours later after expending great effort to recapture these hogs that had taken flight, my dad admitted smoking cigarettes had damaged his stamina and produced irreversible consequences.

Trouble will test your integrity and endurance for doing the right thing. Galatians 6:9 instructs us not to "become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, provided we do not give up." Regardless of how overwhelming trouble appears to be, ask God for strength and determination to endure. He will help you. 

_______________________

Jesus answered them…“I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”

~John 16:33 Good News Bible

Overwhelmed by Storms

There are many ways to hide from the realities of life, and everyone seeks shelter from the storms of life that are overwhelming. Job faced a series of catastrophes in rapid succession that compelled him to declare, “How frail is man, how few his days, how full of trouble!"  You may sense approaching trouble and, like Job, feel frightened, perhaps helpless.

It's not unusual to disregard warning signs about approaching trouble. Hiding from trouble is an ineffective attempt to avoid conflict. While it’s possible to avoid and deny conflict, these defenses can prove to be disastrous. Realizing conflict needs to be addressed appropriately is essential to good, healthy relationships.

Trouble visits the righteous and the unrighteous. Job loved God and lived an upright life before him. Still he had to grieve through the death of all his children. We, like Job, can claim God's promise to be our "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."  When we do so, we gain courage to face whatever life presents to us.  

______________________

God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble.

And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea.

Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.

Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God!”

~Psalm 46:1-3,10 Contemporary English Version

Playing Hide and Seek with Truth

Most children learn to play the game of hide and seek. When this game is carried over into adult life, it produces conflict with others as well as internal conflict. We hide what we're ashamed of, what we fear would be detrimental to the status quo we’ve established.

The truth we hide from others, we attempt to hide from ourselves, which then creates guilt and shame. Eric Hoffer’s, book, Passionate State of Mind, warns, "The weakness of the soul is in proportion to what we’ve hidden in our soul." How do you hide the truth from yourself? By denial, which is a defense mechanism that damages your self-esteem and integrity.

Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth. Albert Schweitzer wrote, "Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now and most assuredly when it seems highly unsuitable to the actual circumstances." Whatever truth you need to reveal to Christ Jesus and others, God will give you the courage to confess it now, today. Trust him to do so.  

_______________________

So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you live in accordance with what I teach, you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

~John 8:31-32 Williams – New Testament in the Language of the People

Face Truth – Free Yourself

Everyone is guilty of hiding from the truth, especially if it's painful to face. Truth calls for accountability although it may be difficult to accept. Jesus told Pilate, his examiner, “I came into the world to testify to the truth.” Pilate responded by asking Jesus, "What is truth?"

Pilate didn’t give Jesus a chance to answer because Jesus' answer would have required Pilate to face himself and a difficult situation. Truth lights up the darkest of days because truth eventually points the way to a brighter future, even if the immediate situation creates fear and a sense of dread.

Hiding the truth is a first line of defense when truth is humiliating, embarrassing and unacceptable. When we acknowledge to Christ Jesus the most painful truth imaginable, we then are freed from the burden of hiding or ignoring it. Jesus knows the truth for he is the way, the truth and the life, and it is the truth that will set you free. 

_______________________

Jesus said: “When...the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, comes, he will guide you into everything that is true. For he will not be speaking of his own accord but exactly as he hears, and he will inform you about what is to come.

~John 16:13-14 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

Your Best Day - Today!

It's not uncommon for a young person to use some creative measures to look older to someone who might frown on their youthful appearance. Young people are in a hurry to grow up, and the marketplace is eager to accommodate their rush into adulthood.

On the other side, aging cannot be denied, even as frantic efforts are undertaken to slow down or reverse the assault. Hiding aging is comparable to hiding other realities that impact your identity. Listen to Galatians 6:7. "What you plant, you will harvest. If you plant to satisfy your lower nature, your harvest will be the decay and death of that nature. If you plant the truth, you will reap the good things the Holy Spirit will give you.”

Each stage of life presents opportunities that may never again be available. "This is the day that the Lord has made so rejoice and be glad in it." These are words of hope and encouragement so rejoice and be available for what God has purposed for you to be.  

__________________________

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits…

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

~Psalm 103:2,5 New American Standard Bible

Great is his faithfulness; his lovingkindness begins afresh each day.

~Lamentations 3:23 The Living Bible

An Encouragement at Any Age

Children go through developmental milestones such as learning to crawl, pull up, walk and develop language. Some children are early in mastering these objectives while others are late, but in time most children are successful in acquiring these skills. Each stage of life has to be met with resilience to overcome expected frustrations.

While there are major milestones to be experienced and accepted during each stage of life, most obstacles can be overcome. One myth about senior adulthood is that a decline in mental functioning is inevitable. While this is true in some cases, your attitude and willingness to exercise your intellect will keep you sharp as you grow older.

Again, it's your attitude and beliefs that impact your personal joy and satisfaction while acquiring a life worth living. Being an encouragement to others is a rewarding task at any age. Proverbs 16:24 is a reminder that  "Encouragement is like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and healing to the bones.” Why not adopt encouragement as your objective? 

________________________

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

~Ecclesiastes 12:1a New International Version

I have created you and cared for you since you were born.

I will be your God through all your lifetime, 
yes, even when your hair is white with age.

I made you and I will care for you. 

I will carry you along and be your Savior.

~Isaiah 46:3-4 The Living Bible