Tough Times!

            A carpenter hired to help restore an old farmhouse had just finished up a rough first day on the job.  A flat tire had made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup refused to start.  As he rode home with a friend, he sat in stony silence.  On arriving, as he walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.  Then, opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation.  His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a big kiss.  Why the transformation? 
            The tree in his yard was his “trouble tree.”  He knew he couldn’t avoid having troubles on the job, but one thing was for sure—troubles didn’t belong in the house with his wife and children.  So he just hung his troubles on the tree every night when he came home and, in the morning, picked them up again.  The funny thing was that when he came out in the morning to collect his troubles, there weren’t nearly as many as he remembered hanging up the night before. 
            A lot of people have an ejection-seat mentality.  As soon as they experience trouble they want to pull the ejection cord and zip off into the unknown and hide, hoping to get away from it all.  Listen, trouble excludes no one.  It comes to all: rich, poor, dark, light, sinner, and saint.  But, getting through them is uniquely personal.              There can be no triumph without trouble.  We can’t have victory unless there’s a vicious attack.  Potential comes from having problems.  For us to win, it takes a challenge.  By focusing on the trouble we actually do not solve a thing, but in reality we cause our problem to be magnified bigger than it is.  We see everything the wrong way and begin to get down on ourselves.  Discouragement sets in, then despair which provokes depression, hopelessness, and eventually defeat.  We must stop focusing on the problem and set our eyes on the right thing. 
            God has given us a way through tough times, but it’s up to us to focus on it.  He has given us His Word the Holy Bible to look at and to meditate on in place of troubles.  The devil is always trying to blur our focus in time of trouble so be aware of his tactic. 
            I want to share five keys that will help you to focus and get through tough times.  1.  Remember that God is with you and will help you get through.  Read Psalm 121:1-8 for help.  2.  Resist the fear of man.  Look up Hebrews 13:5-6 and meditate on it.  3.  Believe that God has a way out.  Check out I Corinthians 10:13 for clarity.  4. Always maintain a good attitude.  James 1:2 will help you.  5.  Watch what comes out of your mouth.  Ephesians 4:29-32 pulls no punches.  Also, the Apostle Paul says, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair” (II Corinthians 4:8).  Yes, the New Year is upon us, so kick-start it with this godly attitude and you’ll never be the same!  This “From The Heart of J.C.” was written on December 17, 2013.  For more info you can visit us online at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com