Crappy Situations

Recently I was talking to a friend, and they said something to the affect of “I almost feel like I can’t trust God at times, I feel as if every time I get super close to him something bad happens” This statement seriously took me aback. Firstly, because I really had no idea how to respond, and secondly, because I wondered how I would feel when placed in a similar situation. Is my faith in God based simply on my stable existence?

Today while on twitter i saw a blog post on twitter and decided to check it out (shout-out to @Hollenbach at http://takingtheyoke.blogspot.com/). The blogger was commenting on the latter part of Philippians 4 where paul is thanking the church for supporting him while he is in prison.

Suddenly the connection hit me. Paul, formally Saul spent his life murdering Christians. Jesus essentially knocks some sense into him and he begins preaching the gospel in an incredible way. Everyone knows the impact Paul had on the early Church. I mean, he wrote most of the New Testament! Paul’s life has been revolutionized and he is “on fire” for the Lord, but how does God repay him? He lets him get thrown in jail. This wan’t a nice cute little Mayberry jail cell either. I’m sure it was dark, dirty, and food wan’t provided. Paul was completely at the mercy of others to bring him food.

Let’s just be honest. This is a CRAPPY situation. Fortunately for Paul the Philippian Church had been providing for him. Paul writes, "How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:10-13 (NLT)

Paul basically says, “Look, it doesn't matter if i have food or not because I have christ, it doesn't matter if I have clothes because I have Christ, it doesn't matter if I'm in prison because I have Christ...” That’s a pretty incredible state of mind to be in! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS, because, through Christ, I can do this.

But where does that leave me? Where does that leave my friend? It’s one thing to see an example in the Bible and a completely different one for me, as a human, living in the twenty-first century to truly see it as something that could be parallel to my life. However, the hard reality is that crappy situations are going to happen and the even harder reality is that waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the way to deal with them because sometimes, there is no light.

Is Jesus enough for me? He should be. God desires for us to be SO dependent on him that WE DON’T NEED ANYTHING ELSE. He desires that when we experience loss or hurt that we have the faith to say “I got this, because God has me.” That’s defiantly something that I pray will become more true of my life.