Since life is so unpredictable, it often unravels. All our carefully constructed plans can fall apart within minutes. What do we do when life unravels? How do we react so that the very essence of our souls doesn’t become undone?
Here are some principles to follow when life unravels:
Action Point 1: Focus on God instead of the problem.
Psalm 43:1-2, “O God, defend me from the charges of these merciless, deceitful men. For you are God, my only place of refuge. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I mourn at the oppression of my enemies?”
God delivers us from oppression and from the difficult emotions we face when life unravels. As we focus on God and his strength, we can think more positively and take baby steps forward.
When we focus on God instead of the problem, our attitudes become more positive and we live in hope.
Action Point 2: Focus on the lesson instead of the pain.
Psalm 43:3, “Oh, send out your light and your truth—let them lead me. Let them lead me to your temple on your holy mountain, Zion.”
God’s light and truth lead us through the unraveling yarns of health issues, depression, loss. He can bring us to that place of utter peace, that inner holy of holies where we rest in his strength.
As we stay alert for his light and truth, he whispers the phrase of a song or directs us to a passage of scripture. When we focus on the lesson rather than the pain, God teaches us more of what we need to know within our faith journeys. His beacon of truth points us to some of the richer treasures of faith and trust.
As we focus on the lesson God wants to teach us, our pain becomes the secondary focus and a bit easier to bear.
Action Point 3: Focus on the future instead of the present.
Psalm 43:5, “O my soul, why be so gloomy and discouraged? Trust in God. I shall again praise him for his wondrous help; he will make me smile again, for he is my God.”
King David reminds us to stay in hope. We can think of this important principle as, “Living in the Yet.”
To live in the yet, focus on the future – when this present circumstance wears down, when we work through the grief, when we learn the lesson.
All the unravelings of life, these temporary afflictions, eventually end. Some last longer than others and test our perseverance. Some need extra amounts of God’s power-filled grace. Some are blessedly brief. But all trials eventually end.
As we live in the yet, we can praise God that the end will indeed occur and then hopefully, our faith muscles will be stronger, our trust in him deeper.
No matter what unravels next, we can be grateful for Psalm 43 and determine to live in the yet.
2014 GateWay of Hope – The Helping Place for Hurting Women