How can we win when it feels like we are losing?
Problems come in all shapes and forms. Some can be small where you know you have it, but its nothing to really worry about, but then again some can be life-changing. Some problems can hit you like a bullet and some do a sneak-attack and you had no idea of what was happening until it happened. Problems can overwhelm you to the point where you may feel like what is the use of continuing on. It may feel like a never-ending saga called, "If I didn't have bad luck, then I wouldn't have no luck!" It can really make you feel that way. You may keep trying and trying to no avail. You can even try to discuss your problems with friends or love ones, but they may tell you to either just get over it, to count your blessings and you will be alright because it could be worse, or they may even dismiss you altogether. Sometimes, people may just not understand what we are going through because they are not the ones going through it, so they cannot sympathize with you. Trials come to make us stronger, but it sure does not feel that way when we are going through them.
Problems can cause us to make bad judgments/decision, not use wisdom, or put us in a position where we feel we have no choice. We think irrationally and tend to make hurried decisions that are situational instead of foundational. We may not even think of the consequences of our future based on a decision we are making because of our present. We feel that no one else is going through what we are battling and something has to give.
What is the good news then? What can be good when we are going through something that makes us feel terrible inside and out? Two main key point actually. One is that there is always an indicator before the situation happens. We may have done something ill-advised that may have brought on a trial. It may be a little nudge or a big push, but there is always a warning that we either ignore or are willing to suffer the consequences. We have to learn to begin to pay attention to those signs ahead of time and not let it be an after-thought. Do not be pushed or hurried into anything. Take your time and think things through. When making a decision, look at every angle before making a final decision. Nothing is 100% so there will be times when you are still going to overlook something, but it should be less than often.
Second, you will actually be alright. Think about maybe five years ago when you had a major problem, or even the beginning of the year when you had a pressing issue that caused you not to sleep and you thought you were not going to make it. You are still here to see the next problem. Sometimes we have to go back to what God has brought us out of to realize that He will bring us out of this too. Yes, it feels bad and feel like it is not going to end and we will remain in that dark place, but joy comes in the morning. His mercies are renewed every morning and we can take great consolation in that fact. Its hard to think past our right now, but we have to in order to get to our future, so there is good news even in the midst of your trial. You will get through this and you will have a great testimony from it.
