Bishop Monterey D. Lee, Sr
“For His anger is but for a moment; and his favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning,” Psalm 30:5.
All of us have experienced hardship and difficult situations at some point in life. It is an unavoidable part of life. But how we react to these setbacks is what dictates exactly how much and how long we will suffer and go through the difficulty. Our chosen response, the choice we make, will also affect whether we overcome a bad situation or succumb to it.
The story is told of a man who made his own ‘home improvement’ company. The man would go from house to house asking if he could fix things that were broken or not working in the city. He would go in and notice what needed to be done, then fix it at no cost. The people would offer to compensate him, but he would decline it.
One day after working all day on a job the home owner offered to pay for the work that was done so well. As usual, the man declined the pay. The home owner asked him why he went from house to house fixing things in need of repair but after he’d done such a great job he’d refuse to be paid.
The man then stopped and told the home owner he had just learned his wife had cheated on him. He said: “I need to do a kind deed, because I believe that it would be therapeutic and help me deal with my anger and hurt.” The home owner was quite surprised to hear this and also very touched and moved. While the man was speaking, the owner of the house could sense the pain and hurt that he was experiencing. At the same time he could also detect the sense of satisfaction and peace the carpenter derived from his unconditional act of kindness. The carpenter said: “I do these thing for others in the midst of my own pain, and it makes me feel better knowing that I helped someone.”
Despite being hurt and betrayed, this man displayed tremendous wisdom and maturity. He decided to turn a negative situation into a positive one. This was the unselfish choice he made.
You also have a choice.
This ‘handy man’ put his life in perspective and reflected on it by accepting the situation to do something good. His focus was not on himself but on others, and he was able to embrace change. How do you deal with bad situations? How do you stay positive in times of crisis?
David experienced great illness during the plague in 2 Samuel 24:10-25. The Lord sent a pestilence (a plague) upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed. David had sinned greatly but asked the Lord to take away his guilt. Gad, David’s seer, came and said to him: “The Lord is offering you three choices. Choose one of them. David answered, I have great anxiety. Please let us fall into the Lord’s hands, because His mercies are great. But don’t let me fall into human hands. Do not harm this people. I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. Let your hand be against me and not my father’s family.”
David had a serious illness caused by his sin, and he expressed his plight to the Lord. Then the Lord ended the plague on Israel and David.
“Go and build an alter to the Lord and offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.”
Now David is extolling the Lord, saying: “I will praise you enthusiastically, because you have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to rejoice over me. You have brought my soul from the grave. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. You did not destroy me. You forgave me and allowed me to have another chance. You did not give me over into the hands of my enemies but you forgave me. Now I will sing to the Lord, all His faithful ones will praise His Holy Name. His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor is for life.”
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning,” Psalm 30:5.
Don’t allow the tests of life to become your downfall. Let it be a testimony to the power of God. Remember that God is gracious and merciful. Be as David, and speak over your life so that “this time around it will get better!”
