When life slams a trial in your face, when circumstances spin in a direction that you never expected and didn’t see coming, what choice will you make? What choice will I make?
I was at the “Happiest Place on Earth,” enjoying three days in Disneyland with my daughter. Hard to believe that was only a couple of weeks ago. Upon returning, I was hit with a tidal wave–news I never expected to receive. I have to live each day–possibly for the rest of my life–with the reality of this news. Even if “things” change for the better, my life will be altered by this news.
After I emerged from my reaction (one of despair, anger, and deep sadness), I could hear the Spirit of God challenging me in the midst of this. Even while the enemy roars with delight, I have made a choice:
In this season…in what is the most challenging thing I could ever imagine facing short of disease or death of those closest to me…I choose to respond in a way that will be glorifying to God.
I will CHOOSE not the way of fear…which is the path of least resistance. But I will choose, instead, the way of faith. I know that this requires choices daily…maybe even hourly. It is the way of praise, trust, repentance, and rest. It isn’t easy. It requires death to self and all the things I want to say and do in response to this trial.
I have been in a similar situation before and didn’t choose to glorify God in it–at least not consistenly. God taught me well that it doesn’t work to feel sorry for myself, to fixate on other people, to hope in the changing of my circumstances. At that time, I allowed my thoughts to take me captive. I yearned for things to be different and I spiraled downward emotionally. Occasionally, I would cling to the Lord and my head would emerge from the water and I could get some air, but the rest of the time, I felt submerged in darkness, unable to breathe or to see the light of day. This, too, was a choice.
The message that God has given me to proclaim was written during that season, during 2010 and 2011. I saw the truth of it, but was inconsistent in applying it. So, now…I WILL apply the truth he has taught me.
Have you, or someone you know, been faced with horrific news? Is fear your constant companion? If so, my intention here at this blog is to walk with you through the Valley of the Shadow of Death even as I walk through it myself. It is my intention to daily (or almost) CHOOSE to go from FEAR to FAITH on the path of praise. I want to show you how, even as I do it. Here, I will be applying the principles that I have been teaching for the past three years (and longer), so that others of you facing challenging situations–situations that you fear will be the end of you–might apply these strategies with me and emerge as victors rather than victims.
Let’s choose to be victorious over the circumstances that our God has ordained for us. We do not need to let our circumstances or the people in our lives have the right to determine what manner of people we will be. We can choose to be those who honor the Lord…even in this.
I hope you and/or someone you know will join me in the days ahead. I will offer practical ideas and, even, assignments here. Why not share this blog with one of your friends who you know is going through it? He/she might be encouraged, too.
What I will share with you…well, it works. If we join together and support one another, we WILL be victors for the Lord.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
– 2 Corinthians 2:14