Surviving Life's Storms
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV
In the last few months, we have experienced major changes in our ability to travel, worship, fellowship, congregate, provide health care, and more. These changes have been major for some and minor for others. Graduations, proms, conferences, weddings, and memorial services have been canceled or postponed. Schools, restaurants, malls, churches, casinos, corporations, and small businesses have had to close down temporarily due to an unseen yet deadly foe. With all of these changes happening simultaneously, we have to make adjustments not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually as well. In these times we have to live the faith we profess. We have to count it all joy, walk by faith, and not despair or worry. These are all biblical principles but we are seeing the need to put them into practice.
Surviving life’s struggles is not new for us but when the struggles mount up it gets overwhelming and can produce extreme worry and anxiety. The fear of the unknown can be crippling and become a problem in itself. To overcome the effects of the current climate of chaos and confusion we must get back to basics.
Our faith in God must be first in our lives. We must learn to love ourselves and each other and live out The Golden Rule, which is to, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you” Luke 6:31.
Not only must loving God, yourself, and others be a priority, now is the time to get serious about taking care of your health, finances, and spiritual growth. Some of the fear we see is because we were caught off guard and like the five virgins who didn’t have enough oil for their lamps we have been caught short (Matthew 25:1-3). This is not for us to be in despair or to be disappointed about but this is something we can learn from.
Overcoming struggles is possible because we learn strategies from the past ones. We prayed, praised, and loved our way through the last storm and that will get us through this one. Encourage yourself and be strong in the Lord. We will get through this but not without making changes. We will be in the words of Marvin Sapp, “Stronger, wiser, better.” Jesus has promised us peace and to be with us always so we are not in the struggle alone.