Am I pole vaulting over mouse turds instead of having joy?

Here's our Precious Prodigal post for July 8, 2014: Am I pole vaulting over mouse turds instead of having joy? #wrongfocus #choosejoy Please "Share" this post using this "ShortLink" = http://bit.l

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Grant’s Dad had been very ill, and he knew he had only a short time left before he would be with the Lord. Grant shared that, although there was sorrow, there was also joy as his Dad shared with him a depth of communication greater, more genuine and more personal than ever before.

That’s what Jesus was doing in John 16 when He shared with His disciples in a new and more intimate way what was going to happen. He told them they were going to have great tribulation in this world, that they were all going to abandon and fail him, and that He was going away. No wonder He said that His words had filled their hearts with sorrow. (John 16:6)

It doesn’t sound like the circumstances where they could “be of good cheer” and have peace (John 16:33), or have their “sorrow turned to joy” (John 16:22). Yet Jesus told them they could have those things in spite of what was happening in their lives. And if they could, so can we.

It isn’t only those of us who love a prodigal who have a tough path to walk. This world has plenty of pain and sorrow to around, and we’ve all had our share. And we shouldn’t be surprised at the “fiery trials” we face (1 Peter 4:12). However, the fact that we have them doesn’t mean we have to wallow in them. There are several reasons for that, but I’ll only touch on two.

The first is that if we pitch a tent and camp out in that “fiery trial,” we will begin to be defined by it. Our broken heart, our sorrow, and our losses do not define us because we are so much more than that. We are children of the living God, forgiven, redeemed, set apart and called to do something wonderful with our lives. By staying in the problem instead of the solution, we act more like scullery maids than we do princes and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You and I are royalty, and maybe it’s time for us to start facing our problems with the poise and dignity that position requires.

The second reason is that most things aren’t as bad as we think or say they are. I know how hard it is to love a prodigal. I’m right there with you. But if we’re not careful, we will focus so much on the problem and so little on the Problem Solver that we will find ourselves “awfulizing” everything. I call that “pole vaulting over mouse turds.”

A flat tire becomes a catastrophe. Waiting in line at McDonald’s or Walmart becomes a disaster. A fender bender seems like the end of the world. And the “real” problem? We’ve told that sad story so many times we know it by heart, and people are almost certainly tired of hearing it. Before we know it, every day becomes “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”

Again, we’re more than that. Like the disciples, we’re going to have tribulation...maybe even great tribulation. We’re going to fail our dear Savior, and there are going to be times when we feel like He is far away. That’s the very time we need to trust Him, and the very reason He said what He did in John 16…so that in the midst of our pain, we can have joy and peace “in Him”…not anyway, but because.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, stop defining yourself by your broken heart? Can you take an honest look at how you are facing your problems?