Dropped your phone in the toilet? A child decided to display his artistic skills on your hardwood floors? Was on the receiving end of a hit-and-run? Just lost your job? Had an elephant use your car as a scratching post?
Whatever it may be, tough stuff happens. It can place a rather dark cloud over the day. When it comes, here are some simple, yet helpful, reminders.
- Remember To Pray. Chances are pretty good you’re going to call up a spouse or Mom and Dad to tell them what happened. Don’t forget your heavenly Father. Cast those anxieties upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Tell Him all about your sorrows. He wants to hear from us.
- Remember Stuff Can Be Fixed & Replaced. Sure, it might take time and money to restore. It might even be irreplaceable, but life will still go on. Don’t let a difficult situation place a bushel over your light (Matthew 5:14-16). By all means, definitely don’t let dark clouds put out your light. Face the difficulty and keep possessions in the right perspective (Matthew 6:19-21). In the end, all our stuff is temporary (2 Peter 3:10-12).
- Remember This Doesn’t Impact Salvation. Obviously I’m making some assumptions here. First, that we have already followed God’s instructions on how to receive salvation (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21). Second, that we are living a lifestyle in the light (1 John 1:5-7). As long we’ve obeyed God, then no tragic event can remove us from grace. An unfortunate event doesn’t eliminate our salvation. There’s no doubt it’s difficult, but it doesn’t influence our salvation one way or another if we don’t let it. So try to smile through the pain because heaven is still there for us.
We can’t usually control what’s coming our way. What we can control is how we respond. Let’s respond in such a way that shows God is our focus, heaven is our destination, and our joy runs deeper than any pain this life can bring (James 1:2-5; Acts 4:23ff; 5:40-42).
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