4 Wrong Ways to Respond to Trials

In this life you will suffer and struggle (Jn 16:33).  Don't worry.  God has a plan to use this for your good (Rm 8:28).  But if you aren't careful, you can do things that will make your trials harder and more painful than they need to be.  Here are four wrong ways to respond to trials:

First, being physically exhausted.  You will not be able to weather life's storms if your body is running on empty.  Eventually you'll run out of gas and break down.  You'll break the bow if you always keep it bent.  The Bible calls those who do not work lazy, but it calls those who do not rest disobedient.  Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap, go to bed at decent hour, and take a day off.

Second, focusing on your trials rather than on almighty God.  In the middle of a thunderstorm, if you were to travel 10,000 feet straight up you would find complete sunshine without a cloud in sight.  Which is real -- the storm or the sunshine?  Both.  They are parallel realities occurring at the same time.  Your trials are real.  But there's another reality.  God is real, and He is omnipotent and sovereign over all.  Which reality are you going to choose to focus on?  The object of your focus will determine the intensity, longevity, and outcome of your trial.

Third, holding on to unrealistic expectations.  If you always expect to have good health, and conflict-free relationships, and obedient kids, and everything you touch to turn into gold, then you are setting yourself up for great disappointment.  You are expecting things that God has not promised.  Not only will you be disappointed, but you will get angry with God for not keeping His word.  Be sure that your expectations are grounded in God's promises.  Study the word and church history and observe the trials that God's greatest warriors had to endure.

Fourth, believing you are indispensable.  If you think you are totally responsible for your spouse's choices, your kids' behavior, your company's success, your health, your financial situation, and for how people treat you, then you are headed for big trouble.  First, you will take all the credit when you succeed and be filled with pride and ingratitude.  Or second, you will take all the blame when you fail and be filled with discouragement.  Realize that you are neither omnipotent nor sovereign.  You can only control your input.  Trust God with the outcome.

You can't avoid trials.  But you can avoid making your trials worse than they have to be.

(Sources:  Robert Jeffress sermon, "Learn How to Handle Bad Days.")

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