Responding to Adversity: The Choice is Yours

The nature of our adversity alone does not determine its spiritual value in our lives. It is our reaction to it, the way we deal with it, that makes suffering valuable. We have all seen people who faced tough times and folded under the pressure. Some pull themselves back together and go on to learn whatever God wants to teach them. Others never recuperate.

The Blame Game

When adversity strikes, our first response oftentimes is to blame somebody. We will have a tendency to strike out at those around us when things go wrong or we are hurt. Remember Mary and Martha's response: "Lord, if You had been here..." (Jn 11:32). Some people blame God. Others blame Satan. But usually we pin the blame on another person in an attempt to escape personal responsibility.

If blaming it on someone else does not get us anywhere, we may find ourselves fighting the problem. Another way people react to tragedy is denial. They simply will not face what has happened. They act as if nothing is wrong.

Any of the preceding responses can easily turn into bitterness-bitterness toward the person or organization through which adversity comes or even bitterness toward God.

The Pity Party

Another common way of dealing with adversity is self-pity: "Oh my, what am I going to do? Nobody cares about me anymore. Look at my situation. I am hopeless. Before long I won't have any friends. I'll be alone..." Self-pity results from focussing on oneself rather than God. Individuals suffering from self-pity have drawn an imaginary circle around themselves and their circumstances. It is not unusual for these people to become depressed. Hopelessness overwhelms them, and they see no reason for going on with life.

Responding the wrong way to adversity will always have a devastating effect. People who react in any of the ways just described will always come out the losers. God wants to use our pain and sorrow for something positive. That being the case, the wisest thing we can do is to learn to respond correctly. By doing so, we work with God rather than against Him.

The Right Response

There are two parts to this. First, we will deal with how to respond to adversity that is the result of sin. Following that (next week), we will focus on what our response should be when adversity originates with God or Satan.

The Wages of Sin: Sin always results in adversity of some form. The following are some steps I have found helpful in dealing with the consequences of sin.

1. Assume the Responsibility.

Don't look for someone else to blame. Take responsibility; own upto it. admit to yourself that you are facing adverse circumstances because of your own doing.

2. Confess and Repent of Your Sin.

To confess is to agree with God. Tell God you have sinned. Not that you have made a mistake. Not that you have had an accident. Simply agree with Him that it is sin. Then repent of your sin. Make a decision not to return to it. To repent is to make every arrangement necessary not to go back to the same sin. That way God knows you are serious.

3. Do Not Complain.

If you are suffering because of something you have done, you have no right to complain. You brought this on yourself. Don't spend your time trying to gain people's sympathy. Use your energy to get things right with God.

4. Ask God to Help You Discover the Weakness through which Sin Creeped into Your Life.

Is there a flaw in your thinking? Have you adopted ideas into your philosophy of life that are contrary to Scripture? Do you have an area of insecurity you have never dealt with? Do you have friends who drag you down? Is there someone in your life who is a constant source of temptation? Questions like these can help pinpoint the door through which sin has entered and found a resting place in your life.

5. Recognize that God wants to Use this Adversity in Your Life.

Regardless of the source, adversity is always a tool when entrusted to the hands of the Lord. Tell Him, "Lord, I know that I am suffering because of my own doing. But I trust that You will use this time of adversity to deepen my faith and strengthen my commitment to You."

6. Thank God for Not Allowing You to Get By with Your Sin.

True repentance is followed by genuine gratitude. When you see your sin for what it is and if you believe God disciplines those He loves, it makes sense to thank Him for sending adversity into your life if that is what it took to keep you from hurting yourself any further. No one enjoys adversity. But you can and should be grateful for what adversity accomplishes.

Finally, Our response to adversity will for the most part be determined by our reason for living, our purpose for being on this earth, as we see it. But the man or woman who has God's perspective on this life and the life to come will always emerge victorious! Be encouraged.

*Contd next week on how to respond to "Adversity from Above And Below"