Happens vs. Handle
Do you have a list of the top 5 things that trouble you in this world? I do. I'm talking about THE things that are causing the most anxiety, turmoil, frustration, and hardship in our life.
We are human, right? We were are not only created with all the emotions that these things provoke, we are allowed to have them. But, to often our emotions determine our attitudes and actions.
What do these top 5 things stir up in you? Anxiety? Anger? Irritability? Devistation? An "I don't care" attitude? A falter in character? A desire to give up? You probably know, just like I do, what your tendency is.
In 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years from now you and I will have a different top 5. Yet if nothing changes in us, we'll react the same way. Jesus promised, in John 16:33, that we will have trouble. If this is a promise, why do we get so bent out of shape when trouble happens?
What if, it's not what happens to us but how we handle what happens to us that affects our attitudes and actions? It's true, think about it. It's not who or what is happening to us that's provoking these emotions, it's us. Something in us needs to change.
I'm convinced I need ask God to radically deal with how I handle these things more than who or what is happening to me. Jesus also promised in John 16:33 that He has overcome the world. Maybe our troubles aren't about ruining our day... maybe their designed for something much deeper in us.
Another promise is in 1John 4:4: "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." We need to surrender to and rely on the One who is in us to change us so we can handle whatever life or the enemy throws at us... for God to be glorified in us!
We are human, right? We were are not only created with all the emotions that these things provoke, we are allowed to have them. But, to often our emotions determine our attitudes and actions.
What do these top 5 things stir up in you? Anxiety? Anger? Irritability? Devistation? An "I don't care" attitude? A falter in character? A desire to give up? You probably know, just like I do, what your tendency is.
In 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years from now you and I will have a different top 5. Yet if nothing changes in us, we'll react the same way. Jesus promised, in John 16:33, that we will have trouble. If this is a promise, why do we get so bent out of shape when trouble happens?
What if, it's not what happens to us but how we handle what happens to us that affects our attitudes and actions? It's true, think about it. It's not who or what is happening to us that's provoking these emotions, it's us. Something in us needs to change.
I'm convinced I need ask God to radically deal with how I handle these things more than who or what is happening to me. Jesus also promised in John 16:33 that He has overcome the world. Maybe our troubles aren't about ruining our day... maybe their designed for something much deeper in us.
Another promise is in 1John 4:4: "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." We need to surrender to and rely on the One who is in us to change us so we can handle whatever life or the enemy throws at us... for God to be glorified in us!
posted by Scot at
6:56 AM
2 Comments:
I see you're messing with you layout :)
I enjoy reading your posts... I'll tell you what I tell my students-- KEEP WRITING!
This post really touched me. My Dad has terminal cancer. In the beginning, I prayed for a miracle. Then it occurred to me that God already knew His plan for my Dad, so I began to pray that He would help me to cope with my Dad's illness. I used to cry when I talked about my Dad's illness. Since I began asking for God's help, I'm much more at peace.
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