Do you like ice cream? Has it ever happened to you, that on a very hot day, you go to the store to buy an ice cream, and once you buy it, and start enjoying it, suddenly, BOOM! it falls to the floor?
Well, it happened to me recently, and I must confess that it did not feel good at all. It was hot, I was really craving ice cream, and I had no more cash with me and the store did not accept credit cards, so I ended going back home disappointed…and without ice cream.
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How nice it would be if everything in life went well, right? If we never had to face the realities of failure, or the frustration and discouragement that we feel when things don’t go as we had hoped.
When I was serving in the local church, as a pastor, every day I witnessed many things that did not go well. Marriages destroyed. Fragmented families. Dreams that did not come true. Friendships that ended abruptly. Unemployment that created financial crises. Diagnoses of catastrophic disease that bring our world upside down. Unexpected loss of a loved one.
When we look at society today, many things are not going well, right? There’s violence, wars, corruption, injustice, inequality discrimination. Most recently, our hearts break at scenes of children being separated from their families as immigrant families come to the US border seeking asylum and a better life.
At work, sometimes things don’t go as we had hoped for. An unmet deadline. A project that doesn’t go as planned. An underperforming staff person. Unexpected conflict with a co-worker. The tragic loss of a friend.
Reality is, that for everyone, sooner or later, the day comes when things do not go as expected, or as we would have liked or hoped for.
And, when this happens, we fill sad and disappointed. For some the struggle is so strong, that they might feel overwhelmed or depressed, and without a clear path to move forward in life.
I personally know what that feels like, as someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression for some time now. There have been times in my journey where I have felt life that ice cream on the floor – simply spoiled and useless.
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So, what do we do when things don’t go well? How can our faith help us cope with the storms of life? 2 Corinthians 4: 7-9, takes us to consider the experience of the Apostle Paul, on an occasion in his ministry where THINGS WERE NOT GOING WELL.
Paul was under attack in the Church of Corinth. His leadership and integrity were being questioned. This was a serious and dangerous situation. Paul's reputation was at stake. The reputation of the gospel that he preached was being affected because of the accusations against him. The church was divided and quickly weakening.
When reading the biblical passage, it seems obvious that this situation was affecting Paul, because, in the face of everything that was happening, Paul shares in his letter to the Church, how he felt. Things were not going well, and this made Paul (as he himself wrote) feel: afflicted…perplexed, persecuted and even struck down.
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You may be asking, so what can I learn from Paul’s experience that could help me when things are not going well in my life if it seems that he didn’t have his life together at the time?
Verse 7, I believe, gives us part of the answer to this question. At least one key thing we can learn from Paul experience that in my opinion is foundational to when we are facing challenges in life. The Apostle Paul, when faced with all these problems and opposition, choose to rest in the assurance of God’s presence in his life, which brought HOPE to the situation.
While he confessed in his letter feeling afflicted and struck down, he also proclaimed that the excellence of God’s power was with him. Even though at that moment he was feeling like an insignificant and weak vessel – the certainty and trust that God was walking him helped Paul find hope during all the challenges he was facing.
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In life, the time will come when THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO GO WELL (perhaps more than we want), and like Paul, we will feel: troubled, in distress, persecuted, and even defeated.
But, may we find HOPE today in being reminded that even in those dark moments in life – GOD IS WITH US. Even if we don’t feel or can’t make sense of God’s presence in our lives. And because God’s is with us, like Paul, when faced with failure, frustrations and disappointments may we also be able to proclaim: “I might be afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed”.
When we face the harsh realities of failure, frustrations and disappointments – may the Spirit constantly remind us that we are not alone (God is with us), that the excellence of the power of God is with us, sustaining us, and that nothing in this life (even life itself) will never set us apart from the love of God in Jesus Christ, the one who in the midst of failure restores us and brings us back to a renewed sense of wholeness.
As a disciple, what else helps you reclaim God’s presence in your life when things don’t go well?
Psalm
121
I
lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore
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