Everything can change...In an Instant

It was a cold rainy morning.  After watching the clouds roll past, I resolved  to myself that it was going to be a dreary day.  But then, in an instant, the sun broke through unexpectedly.  It was just for a few precious minutes.  It was enough time to remind me of the warmth of the sun and that circumstances can change quickly.

When we are on our job seeking journey,  there are times our circumstances appear insurmountable.   We aren't seeing the results we expected, but are doing the necessary activity.    The situation appears hopeless and not fruitful.

What do you think Moses thought as he and his people were being chased through the wilderness by Pharoah's soldiers?  He is cornered at  a dead end of the Red Sea with soldiers in hot pursuit.    At that moment things probably appeared hopeless and the struggle to escape was worthless.  Moses had followed God and led the Jews out, but where was God now?  Even the freed slaves were questioning Moses leadership and God's faithfulness.

"It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than it would that we die in with wilderness.  And Moses said to the people "Do not be afraid.  Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today.  For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will see again no more forever.  The lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" Exodus 14:12-13

Moses proclaims victory before the circumstances changed.  Then in an instant…God moved…things changed.

The red sea parted allowing his people to escape and closed just as quickly upon the heads of his enemy.   Can you imagine what the Jews felt seeing God move like that?

We cannot always see God working, but he is working on our behalf.  Just like He has taken care of Moses and Jewish people in difficult circumstances, He will take care of You in all situations and provide for your needs.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? "  Luke 12: 22-25

Are you trusting God with the big and small of your job search?    Are you following up with your networking contacts?  Taking advantage of the resources around you?  Spending the time you need to with God and on your job search?  Are you believing for victory over your current circumstances?

Be faithful, know that God is in control...In an instant, everything can change.

In the face of difficulty... YOU CAN OVERCOME!

All of us have situations which have profoundly shaped the course of our lives, whether we admit it or not. In observing how people weather the storms of life, I’ve seen that people have 1 of 3 different reactions to difficulty:

1. Define - They let the difficulty define them
2. Deny – Pretend it didn’t happen and push aside the impact
3. Overcome – Address the situation head on with the knowledge of the grace of God

I want to walk through these reactions, to help you evaluate your own responses to situations which you have experienced.

Define

Those who chose to allow their difficulty to define them, chose to live under the shadow of what happened to them. By living in the shadow of tragedy, they are unable to embrace the restoration which can be found in Christ. Many times those who chose this approach may not be doing it overtly, but negative thought patterns will sneak in and keep us from living free of that hurt.

"If X didn't happen, I would be happy"
"I can't do X because of what happened to me"
"If they knew X, they wouldn't want me serve anyway"
"I'm not worthy of this because of X"

To shift mindset, it's important to realize that every negative situation provides an positive opportunity for growth. One of my favorite verses is from Romans:

"...We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us" - Romans 5:3-5a

If you can wrap your mind around the fact that our sufferings produce character in us, it helps you get past the hurdle of being defined by your tragedy. I would much rather be defined by the character, perseverance and hope that is built up in me through difficulty. One of my personal redirects in difficulty is to take a step back from the situation and thank God for the investment he's making in my character. It's as if my heart is getting an Extreme Makeover - Heart Edition when God allows me to walk through difficulty.

Deny

Those who deny tend to remove themselves emotionally from the difficulty. They seem to disengage and become an observer in the situation and not a participant. At times the brain may be processing, but the heart is left behind. I think this happens more with men, as we've built an image of masculinity equivalent to toughness.

Denial may seem like an adequate coping mechanism to "get through it", but doesn't give any opportunity for us to grow through the situation. Denial promotes self-reliance instead of God reliance during the situation.

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. - Ecclesiastes 4:12

In order to get through difficulty it's important to reach out to God and your support network to work through the tragedy. Your friends, family and others in your life are there for good times and bad. By denying the situation and not working through it, you may be cheating others who would grow from the situation out of their own opportunity for growth. There have been many times that I've watched someone else struggle through a situation and be restored, only to be confronted with a similar struggle later in my life. The fact that I walked through it with someone else gave me hope and encouragement.

Overcome

The ultimate example of working through tragedy are those who have overcome. When I think of people who have overcome tragedy, they become spiritual superheros in the lives of others. Is observing someone has overcome, they are able to share that encouragement with others in a way that only they can. Paul was grateful for this when he addressed the Corinthian church:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Cor 1:3-4

There is nothing more joyous than seeing a difficult time of your life encourage others as they walk the journey God has allowed them to walk through. Each and every one of us has a unique imprint to leave on the lives of others but we can only leave the divine imprint intended if we have renewed our mind with the Word of God and can view our situation from His perspective.

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. - Romans 8:6

If you've realized that you aren't handling your own tragedies well, there are some key steps to take to become an overcomer.

Commit to Prayer
First of all, relinquish control of the situation and ask God to open your eyes to where you need to grow. Commit to prayer on the situation and ask God align your heart to his. If there is another person involved that has caused the hurt, pray for that person. This was very transformational for me in getting through a big situation in my own life. God can soften your heart as you pray for that person who caused your pain or conversely who you have caused pain.

Seek A Support Network
Make sure you don't walk this road alone. As mentioned in Ecclesiastes 4:12, a cord of 3 strands cannot be easily broken. You, a trusted friend and the holy spirit are a fantastic team to work through issues and grow stronger. To work through some tragedies, professional help may be needed. There is nothing to be ashamed of if this is the case. Keep in mind that the goal is to be an overcomer so you can live a life of freedom and help others along the way!

Rise above the herd!

As we drove through the country on Sunday, I was wondering if I could recognize a prize winning steer in a herd of cattle. If I picked the best specimen I could find, how would I know if it were championship quality? The reality is, I know nothing about cattle or the attributes which make one better than another. I would be lost to chose one based on not knowing the standard of excellence.

I began to think about my own character and how I would be recognized against a standard of excellence. My first thought was that many people would recognize me as a good, moral, encouraging person. When judging myself against the standards of this world, I would guess that I'm above average. So here I am feeling pretty confident....but that's when God reminded me of the true standard of excellence, Jesus Christ. WHOA.

I find myself compartmentalizing my faith into certain aspects of my life and forget that I am called to live a life with the standards God has set for me. When I re-evaluate where I am in comparison to God's standard, I have SO far to go. This is both humbling and grounding.

It's easy to look around and feel like you are living life decently. It's hard to look God in the eye and be convinced that I am living in the fullness of who He has called me to be. After taking a look at ourselves in comparison to the ultimate standard it would be easy to get stuck in how short we fall, but that's where grace steps in...

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" - Romans 3:23 -24

How encouraging, both to have a high standard for us to strive for and to have grace to catch us when we fall. Go ahead and STRIVE for what God has called you to be. Be strong and courageous! I'll end with the words of Paul to the Philippians. For my friends reading this, you will be in my prayers.

³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. - Philippians 1:3-6

Release your limitations!

I've been asked to sing again after a three year break. I kept thinking "before I need to do this, I need to make sure they understand my limitations". As I continued to think about this over the past few weeks, I started to evaluate why that was important to me. In the past, I've tried to be a vocal "generalist" rather than to focus on the center of my natural style and range. Rather than embrace my strengths, I focused on my weaknesses and resented what I could not do as well as others. I've found this same theme to be true in other aspects of my life.

While evaluating my heart on this issue I realized that my perspective was completely backwards. God has gifted us all with "specialties" which we are able to excel at. This may mean that our abilities don't match what others are doing. That fact alone means you were created to meet a need that others are not able to fit into. Rather than looking at your skills as a misfit, look at them as a perfect fit.

So, I will still have a conversation before I sing but it will be a different lens. Now the conversation will not be my limitations, but it will be to emphasize my unique strengths. If the strengths I have fit the need, I will know that I'm walking into the situation that God has designed for my unique abilities.

Is there a situation where you are compromising your unique abilities? My friend, you are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made for a purpose you can fulfill. Don't undermine that calling by trying to fit in.