I love to read. Mostly fiction but ANY type of fiction will do. Right now, I’m reading a murder mystery series where the main character is a police detective. He always hesitates before knocking on the door of the victims’ loved ones. He knows the next moment will change their lives forever. From now on they will have a before and an after. It will be the catalyst that changes everything for them. We all have catalysts but how well we do mentally, emotionally and physically during these changes are important for not only our lives but also for the lives of the people around us. God is the one that can change our catalyst life moments from horrible to something we are able to go through pointing others to God.
Here are a few of my catalysts over the years:
Infertility
Coming to know Jesus as my Savior
Bankruptcy
Birthing each of my children
When my oldest daughter almost died and was bedridden for 8 months
School issues with my youngest daughter
Being diagnosed with breast cancer
Jeff having a heart attack
None of these things ended in a death. However, when I look back, I see a distinct before and after experience. These were painful, difficult things but we got through them and lived to tell about them. After a cataclysmic event, some people heal physically and mentally after time and are ok. Some people are never ok again. Jeff and I got through these things easier than many because of Jesus and only because of Jesus.
Why do some Christians not get through these life changes well? Some people commit suicide, some live hollow miserable lives from that point on or some stop believing in Jesus altogether. No one but God alone knows what will happen, but we can equip ourselves for battle before the catalyst throws us for a loop. I can give you a long list of verses from the Bible that show us how we have to depend on God during these times but in reality it isn’t as easy as it sounds. How should Christians react when we are hit with devastating, life-changing news? All I know is how I have gotten through and how my journey has been similar to Abraham’s journey.
We read in Genesis that Abraham was the beginning of God’s chosen people. His grandchildren became the tribes of Israel. Abraham was an amazing powerhouse of faith in God. However, he did not start out that way.
-Abraham obeyed and left everything he knew to follow God to an unknown location. He also brought his nephew Lot against God’s wishes.
-when there was a famine, instead of trusting God, he went to Egypt where there was food
-instead of trusting God in Egypt, he told everyone his wife Sarah was his sister so he would not be killed so she could be taken as another’s wife
-when Pharaoh took Sarah to be one his women Abraham did nothing, but God closed all the wombs of Pharaoh’s women to protect Sarah
-instead of trusting God to give him an heir, He and Sarah chose to help God along in His plan, resulting in the birth of Ishmael whose descendants we are still fighting against today.
When we look at these things, why would the Bible say Abraham was a man of faith? While Abraham was making all the wrong choices, God was there to make a way. God was also there as Abraham made correct choices. In either of those situations, God never left Abraham and never stopped encouraging him through the horrible times. When we read that Abraham was willing to kill his son Isaac if God asked him, we don’t always look for or understand the context. God had come through for Abraham over and over again during the good and the bad. Abraham finally trusted God to do what He had said. Therefore, Abraham knew Isaac would either be saved or God would resurrect him. We know God provided a ram to save Isaac but Abraham did not know what would happen. That was Abraham’s main walk of faith, trusting his one and only son into God’s will no matter the cost.
God has put Jeff and I through extremely hard circumstances. Intermingled with those lows, God has also given us extreme highs. No matter what we were going through, Jesus provided what was needed, provided His shoulder to bear the brunt of the burden, and made a way for us to go on.
-As a new believer, I saw God provide a kitchen blind when we needed privacy but did not have an extra $50 to buy one.
-I saw God show me where my keys were after praying He would help
-I saw God open my womb twice, when doctors said it would never happen.
-I saw God help us make a decision about school for both our children.
-Jeff and I both saw God provide a way when we were tested by Satan over and over as we stepped out in faith to do ministry.
-We saw God provide for our family twice as jobs disappeared
What we learned over the years was that God is in control, and He makes a way for His people therefore, we can trust him with anything. Life was not always good. Life was not always the way we wanted or had pictured for ourselves. Life was a series of ups and downs however, Jesus made the rollercoaster much more level, much less bumpy, and with no plunges that didn’t go back up again. Another way of putting it, we were safe with Jesus.
If you are not to this point in your faith, you are in great company. No Christian has ever started out with huge faith. When you walk closely with the Lord, He will test you. In testing you, your faith will grow. You will get to the place where instead of despair in horrible times, you feel Jesus’ presence, comfort and peace. You can eventually get to the place where what God wants is more important to you than what you want.
Christians still have many catalysts that cause before and after situations, but we also know Jesus loves us enough to die for our sins. His love is not as simple as the children’s song “Jesus Loves Me.” His love is unconditional, perfect and never-ending and most importantly available to anyone who will believe in Him as God’s son, sent to be their Savior. If we have Jesus’ love, He is our safety net where we may despair but only for a time. He always catches us and bounces us right back up on that tightrope to start walking again in this crazy circus of a world we live in today on this earth. God is the one that can change our catalyst life moments from horrible to something you are able to go though pointing there to God.
Thoughts for you…
- How is your faith in Jesus when you are living through a before and after life event?
- Is there a catalyst you can think of that could shake your faith in Jesus?
- What are you showing others about Jesus during those cataclysmic life events?
Beloved of God, we can never know how strong we can be until we are in the situation. Every time we have to trust in Jesus and He provides, our faith grows. Step out of your comfort zone, trusting in Jesus, and your faith will grow exponentially.
Love,
Laura