Standing tall in crisis (2)
2. Afflictions are momentary (they don’t last).
It will not stay forever. It is short lived. Soon you will not see it again. Wipe your tears. Have you been disappointed, abused or jilted? Cheer up. Your joy is coming in the morning. You are passing through. It is not a permanent experience. You are walking through every valley of the shadow of death (Psalms 23) because the Lord is with you. It is even a shadow, not the real thing. Remember, you are to fear only Him who can destroy both the shadow and the real; the body and the soul. You are in good company and on the right side.
3. Afflictions are working for your good and in your favour.
Thank God your crisis came. It came to produce character in you. It is building patience in you (Romans 5:1-8). It is producing endurance in you. Would you have known how to endure if you didn’t have some bad times? Just as we need the positive and negative ends to have electric light so we need the good and bad times of life to have the best out of life. We cannot have it rosy all the time. Begin to thank God for your bad times.
When next you see someone who’s taking life easy, realize it is because of what he/she has gone through. And vice versa. You will keep quiet in crisis when you know that it is working out something in your favour. You can even begin to look forward to it. You can dare the devil to fire his best shot and you won’t be moved because of your firm conviction that God allows his fiery dart to land on you for a greater and bigger good He is preparing for and in you. 1 Corinthians 10:13 say there will always be a way of escape. Somebody somewhere is experiencing every problem that is coming your way but God is faithful, who would create a way of escape for you. He can be trusted. Prepare your mind to bear it. God will never allow you to get to the point where you cannot bear it anymore. Very often we cannot immediately see what it is producing in us, but be sure, it is working “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”. Affliction worked in the Prodigal Son (Luke 16) and he came back home a better person, more matured and useful for kingdom business, as it were. Let me quickly say here that he is an immature Christian whose only prayer is, “Lord, Bless me, Lord bless me”. The young man went to his father to request for his portion of inheritance. When he left home he was a boy, but when he came back he was a matured man. Maturity is not only a function of your biological age. Much of it is dependent on how many afflictions you have gone through. Smile! You are a Christian! Afflictions prepare you for tomorrow.
4. Do not to concentrate all your energy on your crisis.
While we look not at the things which are see… Treat it like it’s not there. You may be going through a tough time but treat it with little regard. Look at that which cannot be seen by the natural eyes. This is not an advocacy for absolute denial but an advocacy for the right approach and attitude to crisis. Some of us are so transparent about our troubles that others can see through us as we invite them for a pity party by the looks on our faces. Let your mind not settle on the crisis. Don’t allow your troubles make you lose sleep. You also need to learn how to turn your backs on criticisms that are not constructive. As a minister, do not use the pulpit (pul- pit –a place from where you PULL people from the PIT of hell) as a platform to settle personal scores. Always remember that whoever is backbiting is behind you. Let this encourage you. Of course you know that there are many things that will trouble you in this world. That is why you need to see afflictions as light.
As a Pastor, I have seen some people who were very resentful of others. I had one of such persons in church some time ago. This sister created tension and anxiety. She didn’t mean to be that way, I found out that later, but I noticed that I began to resent her in my mind also. When I took the matter up with the Lord, he gave me a gentle rebuke. He told me that He made all men (and their uniqueness), and that He bears up with them, particularly with their idiosyncrasies. Shouldn’t I do the same as one who ministers on his behalf? According to the Lord, He didn’t have any problem with the lady. His problem was with me. He wasn’t after her directly. He was after making my heart large enough to accommodate one and all. We all need this capacity for tolerance of others, especially those who do not share our sentiments and orientation. The next day I went to her and embraced her. I have come to appreciate her deeply, having come to see her as a great supporter of this ministry.
When people say sentiments like, “I can’t stand him/her” etc it is an admission of failure to imbibe the largeness of heart a true disciple of Christ should have. Those we claim that we cannot stand are not the problem, we are!
5. Look on the things that your physical eyes cannot see.
Be more interested in what the affliction is producing in you that other people cannot see. The long period of waiting before Glory, my daughter was born is worth every wait my wife and I endured. It fashioned in me some great qualities of any great father. How I love Glory and how she loves her mother and I. Your affliction (from the taunting of your parents over your delayed marriage etc.) should be a vehicle that makes you concentrate on the patience, self-control, love, etc that the experience is creating in you. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (Jam.1: 3-4).
Hebrews 10: 35-39. Wait it out, my friend. Have you endured affliction for a while, and you are beginning to waver in your faith? Hold on! Do not cast away your confidence. It is your assurance that the reward will come. It is those who wait it out that have endless joy in the end!
Don’t be quick to pursue the option of the line of least resistance. Learn to see the blessings in every negative situation.