Since there will be trouble, (Jesus promised there would be until He returns) why not prepare?
Prepare by expecting it. I don’t mean being doom and gloom always expecting everything to go wrong. God is with us and has good plans for us. He also warned us we have an enemy who is always looking to steal, kill, and destroy, so we should be ready.
I often said I house-proofed my children rather than child-proofing my house. They learned boundaries and self-control from a young age. I prepared them to avoid the dangers and trouble that were in their world. I could take them anywhere I wanted to and let them know the boundaries. We weren’t restricted to childproofed spaces.
In much the same way, I can’t send my children into a struggle-free world. Instead, I’m doing my best to give them skills and tools to avoid the dangers and overcome the struggles. Even learn to use trouble to benefit them. My job is not to keep struggle out of their life. Do I teach them to be wise and avoid all the trouble they can? Absolutely. Will there be trouble anyway? Absolutely.
How do we prepare for trouble?
- Know the God you serve. The God who loves you enough to have died in your place. Knowing the depth of His goodness makes struggles a blessing. He’s the God who works everything for my good when I’m submitting to His plan. Everything. (Isaiah 54:17, Romans 8:28)
- Have your identity firmly rooted in God and His word. By faith in Jesus, we are His children. What does that mean? Start with all the verses who say “in Him”, “in Christ”, etc. to find out.
- Expect it. Don’t be surprised and let your faith be shaken when trouble comes.
What are your thoughts about trouble and hard things?
Previous posts about seeing hard things differently:
Let Pressure Push You to Healing
How to Partner with Pressure
