From time to time folks show up in my office to ask for advice. Often, it has to do with life circumstances that are troubling, scary, or even terminal. (It's seldom someone shows up to tell me good news - interesting, that). And when they show up, they ask for prayer, companionship, help, and on many occasions, they ask for scripture to help them cope.
By and large, in these rough times, they want to read up on Heaven, or eternity, or the power of angels, or how to completely change direction. I try to steer them away from those topics. I suggest reading the book of James, or certain chapters in Matthew or Mark that deal with the day to day living of our lives.
When a tornado is spotted on the horizon is NOT the time to ponder global warming or the defecits of the local government's preparedness act. When the tornado is spotted is the time to think one step at a time: gather up the children, find the interior room, be quick but not careless. And here's an interesting aside: often concentrating on one step at a time keeps us in balance until such time as we can gain enough equilibrium to assess larger matters.
So I suggest James, who tells the reader: be quick to listen, slow to anger. Forgive - yourself as well as others. Take care of those around you. God is in charge. Or I suggest Matthew or Mark, where Jesus is quoted as saying that each day has trouble enough of its own, so don't go off on a tangent. Slow down. Remember you are loved. Pray. Don't seek vengence. Look into the face of others.
We seem to want to 'flip' our lives like other people flip houses: tear down, gut, reconstruct, and have it back on the market for a quick and profitable sale within 15 days. But lives can't be flipped. Even something as major and wonderful as recommitting one's life to our Creator, as life changing as that is, doesn't automatically change past years of decisions, choices, and events. Some of those take years to change; some of them can never be changed. But how we choose to look at them, deal with them, and handle them CAN be changed. By dealing with each day as it comes and following the wisdom of Jesus and others, we can then turn around 3 months, 6 months, 1 year later, and realize that we are closer to God and to others. By taking it day by day.
And on those larger issues? Don't put them off, either. Take advantage of times when life is managable to join groups, studies, and faith communities to look at those. Then, when a tornado is spotted, those issues are already in place.
By and large, in these rough times, they want to read up on Heaven, or eternity, or the power of angels, or how to completely change direction. I try to steer them away from those topics. I suggest reading the book of James, or certain chapters in Matthew or Mark that deal with the day to day living of our lives.
When a tornado is spotted on the horizon is NOT the time to ponder global warming or the defecits of the local government's preparedness act. When the tornado is spotted is the time to think one step at a time: gather up the children, find the interior room, be quick but not careless. And here's an interesting aside: often concentrating on one step at a time keeps us in balance until such time as we can gain enough equilibrium to assess larger matters.
So I suggest James, who tells the reader: be quick to listen, slow to anger. Forgive - yourself as well as others. Take care of those around you. God is in charge. Or I suggest Matthew or Mark, where Jesus is quoted as saying that each day has trouble enough of its own, so don't go off on a tangent. Slow down. Remember you are loved. Pray. Don't seek vengence. Look into the face of others.
We seem to want to 'flip' our lives like other people flip houses: tear down, gut, reconstruct, and have it back on the market for a quick and profitable sale within 15 days. But lives can't be flipped. Even something as major and wonderful as recommitting one's life to our Creator, as life changing as that is, doesn't automatically change past years of decisions, choices, and events. Some of those take years to change; some of them can never be changed. But how we choose to look at them, deal with them, and handle them CAN be changed. By dealing with each day as it comes and following the wisdom of Jesus and others, we can then turn around 3 months, 6 months, 1 year later, and realize that we are closer to God and to others. By taking it day by day.
And on those larger issues? Don't put them off, either. Take advantage of times when life is managable to join groups, studies, and faith communities to look at those. Then, when a tornado is spotted, those issues are already in place.
RSS Feed
