When our world seems to fall apart, one of the easiest things to do is to focus on our pain or the problem that has been dropped at our door. It’s a natural response. But sometimes we can become so consumed by what’s not going right in our lives, that we miss out on the good things that we have going for us.
There’s a story about two hunters were out on a boat duck hunting. One man was so excited, he said to the other man, “My hunting dog is so great. When I shoot a duck, he can walk on top of the water, pick up the duck and jump back into the boat.”
The other man was not convinced and so the first man offered a demonstration. Soon some ducks flew over head and the man shot one. Immediately the dog jumped out of the boat, walked on top of the water, picked up the dog, came back and jumped back into the boat.
The man said, “See, isn’t that great? What do you think of my dog now?”
The less convinced man grumbled, “The dog can’t swim can it?”
When things go wrong, we get so wrapped up in our pain that we can’t see the good things that we have. For instance, one of the things we overlook is that God loves us. The good news is that no matter what, you can’t stop God from loving you. You can get mad at Him, even scream at Him, but He will still love you forever.
There was a man in the Bible named Jeremiah who became very bitter and depressed because of what he had been experiencing. But in time he realized what we need to realize, and that is if you want to change your life, you have to change your thoughts, and that’s what Jeremiah did.
In Lamentations 3 he chooses to focus on the fact that God’s love for him was always great, that God’s compassions for him never failed. Jeremiah realized that despite what was going on in his life, God was always faithful to Him.
When we are consumed by the wrong going on in our lives, we need to stop and remember all this good stuff we have going for us.
When we start doubting God’s love, we end up making some dumb mistakes. We think, “I know better than God. I’ll figure my own way out of my problems.” But we need to change our thinking. We need to remember that when we think we’ve lost everything, we need to stop a moment and recall what we have left: God and His love for you.
There is something else we have when our world falls apart. We have the opportunity to tell God just how we feel.
Have you ever heard someone say to someone who was upset, “Just let it all out!”
When your world falls apart, there are some things in you, you’ve got to let out. The good thing is, you have someone to say it all to... God. He can take whatever you’ve got. If it’s anger, God can handle it.
He still loves you. If it’s depression, confusion or frustration, God’s got big shoulders and He still loves you. Sometimes we don’t understand why God would allow certain things to happen to you. The thing is, you may never know the answer this side of heaven. But until then, keep taking your concerns to God. He understands. He’s concerned. He has an answer. You can trust Him to do what’s best for you in your circumstance.
When our world falls apart it is tempting and a natural thing to focus on ourselves. May I encourage you to do something different. When you remember God loves you and you’re taking your concerns to Him, trusting Him to do the right thing in your life. Look for good things you can do for other people.
You may ask, “What good will that do for my problem?”
When you choose to do good for others, you are not only giving God time to do something good in your life, but when you do good for someone else, your character gets built. God is very much interested in what you are becoming.
If your world has recently fallen apart, it’s natural to focus on the pain. But at the same time, don’t forget the good stuff. It will help to rebuild your life when it seems to have fallen apart.
This Faith Matters column was provided by Pastor Eric Spletzer of Tri-Community Baptist Church in Beiseker.
