I don’t know about you... but for me life sometimes can seem like it is one crisis or concern after another.
No sooner am I finished with one cause of stress, when another steps in to take its place. I let one out the back door only to hear the knock of another at the front door.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean there are not good experiences in my life... there are. But don’t you find it amazing how we can remember better the more difficult experiences in our lives than the good ones. I am not sure why that is, but I do know that in those times we can be tempted to give up.
We just can’t take another step forward. Maybe that’s where you are at right now. Life’s challenges have brought you to the edge of your endurance. The people of England felt that way just prior to World War Two. With the threat of war and a possible German invasion, people were becoming nervous. And so, to counter - balance that, the British government commissioned a series of posters. The idea was to have encouraging slogans posted all over the country. Two of the most popular ones read: “Your courage your cheerfulness your resolution will bring victory”. Another poster read: “Freedom is in peril defend it with all your might.” These two posters were put up all over the countryside. On railway platforms, in pubs, stores and restaurants. They were everywhere. But one poster that was kept in reserve for an extreme situation such as an invasion by Germany was never put up. It read: “Keep calm and carry on.” When this poster years later was discovered, it became so popular that it was mass produced. Seems people appreciated the reminder from another time to keep calm and carry on.
In our lives, we also appreciate that reminder... to keep calm and carry on. Unfortunately, even these encouraging words lack the strength we need to keep us moving forward. Too often we rehearse our woes more naturally than leaning on heaven's strengths. That’s why those times are tough. You are assuming that God is not in your crisis.
Like deer in the headlights we become paralyzed by our moments of crisis. But when we trust God for our lives and challenges, we can think more clearly and react more decisively because we know that God is in control of our circumstances, and as a result we can rest easier.
It’s learning to trust God to do what we can’t. As impossible as it may seem, God can use the things in our lives for our good. He can bring us through this. He can bring good out of times that seem so bad. We can climb to our feet. We may stumble but we won’t fall. Why? Because as we trust God He gives us the promise of a hope and a future. Others may fail you, they may not keep their promises, but God always will. You can trust Him. He will bring good out of this mess and that promise alone is enough to keep us going.
No one escapes life unscathed and I don’t have an easy solution or magic wand to make things better. But I do know that when God gets in the middle of life, we have the strength to carry on. So trust God with your life. I mean really trust Him. He will get you through this. Just keep calm and carry on.
This column is submitted by the Tri-Community Baptist Church in Beiseker.
