by Evan Mehlenbacher
My wife and I sat down to eat at a restaurant. An exasperated looking waitress jetted over to our table, a bit mindlessly gathered herself together, and dropped protocol for a moment while she uttered, "This is the worst day of my life."
I expected a dramatic tale of woe to follow, but after asking her what had happened, she replied, "My boss called me in early because he said the restaurant was busy, and ‘Look!’ hardly any customers are here. And then the dishwasher broke down, and I’m the appointed dishwasher." She disgustedly displayed her finely manicured and polished nails that had been recently pulled out of dirty soap and water.
My wife and I glanced at each other in disbelief. Her criteria for the "Worst day of her life," didn’t rank very high on what we would call our crises list!
It’s amazing how problems we face in the moment loom larger than they really are.
Have you ever been faced with what you thought was a huge trouble, only to learn in due time, that it wasn’t such a big deal? I certainly have.
I remember as a teen getting very frustrated and upset when trying to fix mechanical problems on our pickup truck. Understanding engines was not a talent of mine. I’d try and try to make proper adjustments, but often with little success. More than once, I’d hunt down my dad and tell him my predicament. He’d come and fix the difficulty, usually in short order. And I’d be relieved to know the trouble could be resolved. It wasn’t such a big deal after all.
I began to develop a motto over the years to fall back upon during times I felt trapped. I’d say, "God is bigger than this problem!" And I’d listen for a solution. Invariably, some progressive course of action would come to mind that got me going again, whether it was figuring out the right person to ask for help, or hearing an original thought that told me what to do.
Christ Jesus has served as my model for human action in times of trial. When he didn’t know what to do, he’d listen for God’s guidance. He knew God’s wisdom was always bigger than any dilemma he faced.
One time, when pondering the direction his ministry should take, he spent forty days in the wilderness fasting and praying. The devil tempted him severely to stop serving God and seek fame and fortune instead. Jesus resisted the temptations with his final proclamation of, "’Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."’(NIV, Matt. 4:10) Rather than cave to the devil’s pressure tactics, Jesus persisted in prayer until spiritual light broke through. He did not capitulate to discouragement. He saw his mission clearly as serving God and God only, no matter what crisis he faced. And he prospered as he remained true to this divine instruction.
If we ever come upon an unexpected hardship we too can resist despair and anger by remembering that we’re not alone. God is with us! God is bigger than the trouble we face. An adverse turn of circumstances doesn’t need to become "the worst day of our life!" Listening for a little inspiration from above can calm alarm, dissolve despair, and keep our life moving in a progressive happy direction.
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I find this sort of thinking and praying effective during the workday, especially when we are expected to do more with less and in a shorter time. Taking the time to realize that God is indeed in control brings fresh ideas to the problem and makes it better for me and my co-workers. And, sometimes a solution comes from the most unexpected source that I would never have thought of. It is so much fun to experience God’s harmonious order where chaos seems to be. Thank you for this post.
Great blog post…its just what I needed right now. At this present moment, there seems to be alot of “drama” in my life. Relationships in my family seem to be taking a turn for the worst and there are tasks that seem to big or overwhelming to complete.
Thank goodness that we can align our thought with Truth and realize that all inharmony is unreal and temporal. Once we realize that there is only one power, God, who is good, and that he Loves us too much to make us go through painful circumstances, our human experience can change.
Someone once said: “Don’t tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is.”
There is truth in that. God is all-power, and He/She is ever-present. God is in control! And as God’s reflection, we have dominion!!!
Thank you, Evan! What a helpful reminder that fear has no foundation. In fact, when you destroy a false fear, healing results!