Families In Crisis

Sometimes there are things beyond our ability to control,  huge crisis situations hit the already stressed out family of America. Many people lost their shirt this week as well as their jobs with Black Monday. I know it is amazingly stressful, loss of homes at a record rate, Hurricanes, Floods. Tornadoes, War!  We are families in real CRISIS.  It takes strong leadership at the helm of the ship to navigate the family through such treacherous waters.  It takes a loyal and attentive first mate at his side to get through such rough seas.  This is not a time to be divided, or petty, or self centered about things, it is a time to see the big picture.

Many grandparents, aunts and uncles are caring for children of soldiers who are deployed. What a great sacrifice they are making for us, laying their very lives on the line for our freedom!  What a great privilege to be a partaker in that, by watching the children of our soldiers, and keeping their children’s hearts and minds safe and secure, training them, and loving them through the hardest time in their little lives. It is a huge privilege, yet a difficult challenge for some, keep the big picture in mind, that these children are in need of extra reassurance and love, our world should be all about them, not about merely fitting them into our busy lives.

Ask yourself: what would happen if we lost everything? What is the worst that could happen?  Many have… and live to tell the tale.  I am not being insensitive, I am merely saying it isn’t something to get worked up about. We will survive the worst things that happen to us, we always do. It is for the building of our faith, the proof that our GOD is faithful to us in our time of need, whether we fail to call upon Him , or we seek Him with all diligence! Stress comes from not knowing what will happen, and feeling like you won’t pull through somehow. I am saying that you need not feel like you won’t make it. You will make it, and you have a Great Savior who keeps you safe through every storm!

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

John Rippon -1787

Isaiah 43:2

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

I am sure of this very thing, there will always be times in our lives, when we will go through things which will test us, and even shake us to our very foundations.  If however, our foundation is solidly established on the Rock, who we set our faith itself upon, we will be able to withstand the hardships to come.  Never lose hope, and don’t turn on each other in times of trouble. These are the times to be the most resolute in your familial unity, and in your  faith.  If you have no structured plans, or predetermined emergency plan for your family, it is a good time to start in on that. If you don’t have a living trust, or at least an advanced directive for your health care provision, see the video below, it is so necessary. With today’s privacy laws, a wife can’t even make a doctors appointment for her husband without an advanced directive.  In time of crisis, such as an accident, if you go to the hospital without one, you will be unable to find out your family members condition at all, without their consent, or advanced directive. In case of your care, if you do not have it pre-stated, the hospital takes control, your family has no sway if no legal documents have not been drawn up.  Have a family plan. Be prepared for every eventuality. If you are prepared ahead of time, it is amazing how much more equipped you are to handle the situations, reducing the overall feeling of helplessness.

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Why Is It So Hard?

It seems like life goes from hard to harder sometimes. I feel like I could roll over in my bed and just forget about even getting up in the morning. With the dog looking up at me to be fed, I know it’s inevitable, I will just have to face the day square on.

I recall a sermon my pastor gave once, in which he shared a story of a small boy who had a chrysalis of a butterfly. The boy watched it day after day, waiting to witness the emergence of the new butterfly. One day he noticed the chrysalis was opened, and the butterfly was struggling and struggling to get out. The boy felt so bad for the butterfly, so he tore the chrysalis a bit to help him out. Alas, the butterfly emerged, but something was wrong, the wings would not open, and soon the butterfly died.

It is important for the butterfly to struggle through a small opening in order to squeeze the blood into the wings so it can fly. Without the struggle, you have no circulation.
the application of his story was of course, how our struggles as a necessary part of our lives. Struggles are also necessary for our children s’ lives as well, if we take care of every situation they come up against, we will do the same thing the boy did with the chrysalis, well meaning, we try to help, but hinder their personal growth.

I have been thinking about the many people who face many hard challenges, from financial hardship, the Hurricanes, joblessness, loss of family members, relationship difficulties…
My petty hardships pale in comparison. I have so much to be grateful for. We have so much to be grateful for. If you are able to read this, you have a computer, you can read… you have your sight.

I am glad my dog convinced me to drag my carcass out of bed and face the day today, It turns out I came to some pretty important conclusions about how thankful I am that our Lord keeps up my circulation, and teaches me how to be thankful at the same time.

1Pe 1:6	In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1Pe 1:7	so that the proof of your faith, {being} more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pe 1:8	and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1Pe 1:9	obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10	As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that {would come} to you made careful searches and inquiries,
1Pe 1:11	seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

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