How to cope when the game gets tough: remember the fundamentals
By Dean Collins
In the moment of glory we tend to forget the suffering. We get glimpses of glory when we pay close attention to the big and often small ways God is moving in our situation. But when the outcomes are unknown and the stress is high, we may be in a situation that requires getting back to the fundamentals of our faith.
Which leads to the obvious question: How often are the outcomes known? They may seem likely but until the moment, the treatment, the sound of the buzzer, or the signature on the deal, we hope but we do not know. And depending on how we view the importance of this moment in our lives, we likely experience varying levels of stress and sometimes even fear.
If you are a March Madness person you know we have the Final Four this weekend. We know the names of the teams, the coaches, and the players. All hoped they would be here, but none were sure until the glory of that last victory secured their opportunity. A little over a week ago ESPN announced that out of nearly 15 million entries in their bracket challenge, there were zero perfect brackets left. This is one, clear example that no one really knows how things will play out until they do.
Fundamentals for life
In the middle of Romans 8, Paul gave us some fundamentals for important moments in our lives. No, he wasn’t thinking about sports betting where we hope to win bragging rights or some fast cash. Paul spoke of real substantive life. As Paul unpacks his thoughts, he is well aware of his own suffering. He affirmed what Jesus had already taught his disciples; in this world there will be troubles. Followers of Jesus always have experienced suffering and trouble, and they always will until either Jesus returns or we meet him in Heaven. Not every moment will be trouble. But I suspect you have noticed the more you surrender to God’s will and align yourself with his kingdom purposes the more likely it is that you will experience opposition from the enemy camp.
We know and can quote Scripture evidence that we will get through our situations, but we cannot see them except in the rearview mirror. Only eyes of faith give us a vision for God’s help in the future.
Fundamentals when suffering
And we are not alone in our waiting. Not only do we wait but all of creation waits, the very earth groans, in anticipation of the day when everything is restored. Oceans, forests, soil, vegetation, climate, everything in creation hopes and waits.
We groan, too. Sometimes in our seasons of stress and suffering, nothing more than a groan will come to our lips. The stress is too great. The uncertainty seems profound. Yet Paul is reminding us that in these moments we must remember the fundamentals of our faith. Yes, faith. Faith that God is who he says he is. That Jesus is really alive having conquered death and experienced resurrection. That when we accept his sacrifice and place our lives in his hands he will never depart or stop loving us. And that our faith leads to hope, profound hope, that rests on his promises and not on wishful thinking.
Fundamentals and hope
Paul’s epistles, along with the Gospel writers and even the prophets and the Psalms are telling us never to quit the basics. Somewhere in these Final Four games someone will miss a pass, be called for traveling, or forget to post up, and the result may mean the game is lost. In order to avoid these situations, good coaches go over and over the fundamentals in practice so that in the moment of stress they can depend on players moving with less stress toward the goal.
We cannot eliminate stress, but we can go back and read, memorize, and quote God’s truth to him and to ourselves. We can pray. We can seek godly counsel. We can worship. We can be still and listen. And in these fundamentals we can rediscover the hope within us that God will, indeed, get us through today and tomorrow and every day until he comes.
Your time with God’s Word
Romans 8:18-20-30 ESV
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: www.pexels.com
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