Whenever I meet one of those wise
old sages of business or management, I am continually impressed by the
resiliency: their ability to resurrect from impossible setbacks. There is a
reason that they do come back. It's right between their ears - the attitude of
their heart. It's a trait we all need for many good reasons as we'll share
below.
Adversity
When something goes badly wrong,
the first question we ask is, "why?" It's good to ask because our heart really
does need the right answer. Our first thought is to ask God if He is punishing,
judging or neglecting us, as though He's to blame. Although He does discipline
and test his people, God is always loving regarding His dealings with us. It's
always his goal to bless His people.
You give
me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to
make me great. Psalm 18:35 NIV
When we go through failures, our
heart is grieved in five stages. It helps to admit to God where we are really
at and just talk to him about what's in our heart - it's healthy to just
connect with where your heart is really at. God will not reject you because of
the hurt. "I'll Stand By You" is a very prophetic song that reflects
Jesus' acceptance of us through this healing. If we're too spiritual to allow
our hearts to grieve, we just get stuck at one of the steps.
1.
Denial - This can't be happening to me!
2.
Anger - Blaming others (like God), harboring
unforgiveness.
3.
Bargaining - offering a deal to God to get out
of the problem.
4.
Depression - resignation, giving up, thinking of
suicide literally, emotionally, financially.
5.
Acceptance - I'll survive. I just need to see
the silver lining and get to work.
Believers can shipwreck at the
second stage, in the process of blaming God for the bad events in their life.
Here's the reality: God is not the one who steals, kills and destroys. He's the
one who gives life in abundance. The God who did not spare his own son is also
the one who graciously gives us all things.
Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17 KJV
If you
then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give... Luke
11:13 NIV
If God is
for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him
up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all
things? Romans 8:31-33 NIV
Why the Turmoil?
Your heart wants an honest
answer! The second very important point is that, if we want to be part of the
Kingdom, we need a wake-up call in terms of warfare and maturity. These are
major themes throughout scripture.
Warfare
The Kingdom really does involve
warfare. There really are casualties. People really do get wounded, discouraged
and give up. We shouldn't be surprised if some battles are lost on the way to
winning the war. The Kingdom will definitely prevail. The earth will be filled
with His Glory. Nations will be discipled. Jesus will be the King of Kings and
every knee will eventually bow and acknowledge His majesty.
Maturity
If we allow God to put us on the
potter's wheel and mold us into His image, that process does involve discipline
and testing. Sorry! Most of us do want to fulfill our call and to receive our
land. There is a price that goes with volunteering for your destiny. The Holy
Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose of testing. If we
understand that reality of our spiritual life, we can actually be grateful for
the fruit it will bear.
Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you
may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 NIV
Perspective
We turn the corner on every kind
of adversity when we decide to pick up the pieces and move on. Elijah
prophesied a coming drought, saw the miracle of the jars of flour and oil never
run out, defeated the prophets of Baal, and prayed for the drought to end and
saw the answer. When Jezebel still wanted to kill him, he sat down under a tree
in moment of exhaustion and prayed that he might die (1 Kings 19:4). God
answered his prayer. The next step was that he anointed Elisha to replace him,
and Elijah eventually came home. We can actually make the same decision. My
suggestion is that we choose life and finish the course.
Creating Victories out of Ashes
There are three stages of turning
our mourning into dancing. We are called to be more than conquerors, whether
our current experience is victory or setback.
1.
Understand our assignment - The world is full of
heartache and pain. We're the ones who have Jesus dwelling within us to heal
those broken hearts and set the captives free. Part of our own resurrection
happens when we see the big picture and put our personal lives in a kingdom
perspective. It's not about us!
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord
is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He
has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, Isa 61:1 NIV
2.
Our words - We also redefine our reality with
our words, both practically and prophetically. It's our role to put into words
the direction that actually turns mourning into dancing. It's our
responsibility to have a plan. Sure, God can adjust us and guide us, but we're
responsible to put our hands to the plow and find a way out.
To
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to
comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow
on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of
mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be
called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his
splendor. Isaiah 61:2-3 NIV
3.
Our deeds - Many believers also shipwreck over
"waiting on God" in the sense of doing nothing. Paul had to make some tents to
make ends meet. His choice was to decide to survive or not. It wasn't complicated
- he chose life. He wanted to finish the course and receive his land. We're the
oaks who stand strong in the face of adversity, and continue to build the
Kingdom.
They will
rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew
the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:4 NIV
The Results
The fruit of choosing life is
that prayers are answered in the face of that level of tenacity. Victories are
won. Yokes are broken. Poverty is defeated. Destinies are obtained.
And you
will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You
will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of their shame my people will receive
a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their
inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and
everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah
61:6-7 NIV
Coaching
The things that hold us back are
nearly always related to our own heart boundaries, not circumstances or
adversity. When our faith is high enough to put a plan in place that is rooted
in the desires of our heart, the answers come. That dream will sustain your
heart through adversity just as Daniel survived his stay in prison and his
promotion in Egypt. Your role in the Kingdom is worth the investment of your
time to put that plan into place and get the help you need to do it.
John Garfield
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