Crises, Chaos and Celebration

My journey with chronic pain and its resulting deformities and life-altering changes do not define me. I am not broken and diminished; I am the beautiful creature God created me to be, and I have been given His Truth. 

 “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, let him glorify God.”   (1 Peter 4:16)

Crises

We’ve all had a few, or several, crises in our lives, followed by the chaos of trying to manage the unexpected upheaval. In fact, our journey though the crisis of COVID and its seemingly endless chaos is a good example and one that is too familiar. Every crises, sickness, trauma, death of a loved one, loss of a job, or ongoing suffering sends us into a tailspin where nothing makes sense and “normal” has been lost to the universe. When in crises we can do nothing and are forced to surrender all. Our sovereign God knows this - He is there.

 “God has not destined you for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our LORD Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9) 

Chaos

Suffering is universal – everyone endures some form of affliction, some more than others. Much more. In the chaos that follows a crises, we try to manage the situation while Satan attempts to take over our mind.

 Pain, be it emotional, physical, mental, even spiritual delivers with it lies. “Victim, weak, doomed, rejected, shameful, failure”, are just a few that try to choke the life and faith out of the wounded Child of God. These malicious, mind-bending mendacities, goading and harping, tempt us to give up on our true selves. Pain attempts to rewrite our life-story.

 Satan tries to steal our identity during this time by reminding us of the past – how miserable and fearful we were during our crises. He tries to steal our joy by whispering, “You are weak”, “You are a victim”, “The pain will return so don’t bother”, “No one believes how you suffered”, “Other people have it much worse”, “You are not dependable.”, “Be careful about being happy.” “You just think God healed you. It’s a lie.” And He reminds us how poorly we managed the chaos – “You doubted God”, “You were grumpy and yelled at the dog.” “You kept crying” “You were so mad.” “You felt sorry for yourself.”

 How do we have a chance when we live in the past and not in the present? We do it by the grace of God and praising Him for what He is doing rather than resigning to the lies of the past. Every crisis changes us but does not define us. We must not give in to the lies of suffering. God uses our suffering to refine, strengthen, and shape us for a purpose chosen specifically to bring glory and honor to Him. He sent His Son, our Jesus, to endure the crisis of the cross, calm the chaos of His people, and celebrate life over death by His Resurrection.

 Suffering begins with a crisis, followed by the chaos of fear, anxiety, remorse, despair, confusion, and an overwhelming sense of loss of control.

 “And now O LORD, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” (Psalm 39:7)

 Celebration 

 Several weeks ago, the month-long episode of spasms just stopped. The grinding cacophony suddenly became silent. In its wake, I was weary and wary. I kept away from people, the very people upon whose prayers I had so heavily relied on and tried to put my thoughts in order. “How long will this last?” “How do I act?” “Where do I start over?” “Will people think I’m a phony?” “Should I look sick?”, and the most pressing thought was, “What did I learn and what does God want me to do?” As I re-entered my “normal” life, going back to church, visiting with friends, walking my dog, doing the laundry, and releasing my anxiety of another attack, I considered the crises and chaos I had journeyed and prayed about God’s intentions for me during the reprieve. What had I learned?

For the Christian the celebration is the most important, yet challenging, part of all. In our happiness and freedom, we tend to forget how desperately we clung to God and His tender mercies. Do we need Him so much when we are feeling strong and confident again? Jesus showed us how much we do, and three of His disciples wrote about the hard lesson they learned (Matthew 14:13-28), (Mark 6:30-52), (John 6:1-21) -

 5,000 grumbling hungry people, 12 disciples, 1 storm, and Jesus. 

“And after He dismissed the crowd, He went up on a mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,” …

That is how we celebrate! After the suffering, we must go to our Father to pray, praise, and abide with Him, just as Jesus had done.

“… but the boat was a long way from the land, beaten by waves, for the wind was against them. "And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.” “And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat, worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God’”, (Matthew 14:23-24, 32-33)

At the right time, He will lead us out into the world, as He chooses, so we can glorify His Father by living and sharing His wonderful deeds.

“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:2-3)

CUTTING AND PASTING TRUTH

My book, “Cutting and Pasting Truth” addresses God’s Word as healing truth in every life story, no matter how battered, torn, or maligned it seems to be. My own experiences with doubt, shame, and pain almost took me down, many times. But Jesus saved me by showing me Truth in His Word. God is Love. I know He can mend your heart, revive your soul, and ignite your faith as well. When we find God in our pain, we discover how He re-orders our broken lives into His beautiful purpose.

 “Bless the LORD O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed as the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5 )