I was driving around recently and my attention was caught by a funny mother-son scene playing out in my neighbourhood. I thought to myself: “I have definitely seen this before and I have acted this scene before”. The mother got out of the car and released her toddler son from the shackles of the seat belt. She went to the other side of the car to attend to another infant and then without warning, the toddler took off. With the infant in hand, she gave the toddler a chase and after some lengthy dribbling, she eventually caught up with the little one.
I have been involved in this sort of chase more than a couple of times and the temptation is always there in the heat of it all to think that other parents don’t have this kind of worry and that the case is peculiar to me and my kids. Anger and clouded vision created by the circumstances in which we find ourselves have a way of magnifying situations beyond what they actually are. We are often tricked into believing that we personify the term ‘long suffering’, and we involuntarily forget that the scriptures say that there is nothing new under the sun. Those questions that don’t have answers flood our minds: “Why is my own case different?”, “God what did I do to deserve this punishment?”, “When will I become like my mates?”, “God Why…?”
It’s not unusual to be overwhelmed by situations around us, but we can count on God to keep His promise, made in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT):
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Many more of these promises exist in the Bible and it is our duty to search them out. They are there because our Father loves us. He loves us so much that He will not just sit by and watch us grapple with pain and anguish. Put your arm in His arm and let Him lead. He knows how to take care of what belongs to him.
What’s the storm you are passing through right now? Be encouraged! God is on your side if you abide in Him.
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