If you want to collect advice from the Bible to help you overcome a dire situation, King Solomon is a great place to start. During his lifetime, people came from all over the world to hear the wisdom of Solomon. In the passage below, Solomon shares about the reality of life. The longer you live, you will encounter the various seasons described by King Solomon. Yet, it’s one of Jesus’ earthly brothers who reveals the secret to overcoming seasons of darkness and pain.
To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, 3 A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up, 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, Ecclesiastes 3:1-5.
If there is a time and place for every season, perhaps every day is merely part of the process that will mold and shape you into the person you will become. Jesus’ brother suggests that everyone struggles with some sort of immaturity. In order to reach what Abraham Harold Maslow refers to as self realization, certain needs must be met before you can move on to the next stage in life. Instead of running away, you must learn to face, endure and go through the storms of life.
Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. 3 Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. 4 But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing, James 1:2-4.
As dark clouds close in and surround you, it will be hard to see or make any sense of this latest situation. Yet, if you want to fully develop as an adult, you need to begin relying on an invisible God in seasons of darkness and pain. Like a veteran who has been there, done that, life is about living and learning from the good and bad. When you stumble and fall, dust yourself off and get back in the game called life. If you can reach a point where you consider any trial a pure joy, you will start relying on God in times of darkness.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 