I wrote part of this early last week for my Distaff Side blog but I’ve been so behind on that (I have a series of posts on preservation I’m trying to write) so I thought I’ll just write it here and maybe add it to the other blog later.
Life has ups and downs. We all know that from personal experience. What I’ve noticed more recently is that a correct reaction to the “downs” is crucial to our enjoyment of the “ups.”
I won’t go into my entire thought process but I’ll give a small analogy.
A boat has a rounded or pointed bottom. The hull of a ship can’t sit on a flat surface without tilting to one side or another. If a ship were to be put in where the tide can go out and leave it grounded it would be lopsided and everything in it would also be lopsided.
This is what I would call the “downs.”
If I owned this ship and entered it in this state, it would be futile to start straightening things. If I secured everything on that ship in it’s “down” state, it would all be crooked again when the tide came back in.
I think I’ve done that in the past and I’ve also done the opposite. My greatest triumphs are when I look back at a trial and can honestly say I didn’t panic. I didn’t run around and try to fix all the broken evidence of my predicament and I didn’t try to change a circumstance I couldn’t possibly fix on my own. God brought the tide back in for me and when He did all my crooked parts became straight and all my lopsided views became level.
I’m not trying to say that folks shouldn’t do anything when their life is in the “down” position. I’m only saying I have had a lot more success when I didn’t adjust my life to my uneven circumstances. I continued making adjustments, but in faith, I made those adjustments according to my promised victory instead of my obvious defeat.
Some Scriptures that I love on this topic (from Psalms and Proverbs of course):
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
8 It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine. ”
Proverbs 3:5-10 NKJV
“He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.”
Psalm 40:2 NKJV