“You’ve got problems, I’ve got problems, all God’s children have got problems.”  John Maxwell

Why is life so filled with problems?

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us-they help us learn to endure.  (Rom. 5:3, NLT)

A couple of Sunday’s ago, our pastor, Tom Conant, started his message on “Hope” with the above quote by John Maxwell.  It was his usual great sermon, but the quote is what really caught my attention.

You see, Sharon received an email from one of her clients just a day earlier in which the client was reporting the fact that she performed a service for a neighbor who is struggling with cancer.  She said, “That made me feel good.  I am thinking I miss taking care of sick people.”  Incredibly insightful!

I think we’ve all heard that the best way to get our mind off our own problems is to find someone else who has worse problems and reach out and help them.  Great piece of wisdom, but–how often do we remember it when we really need it, i.e., when the person with the problem is us.  I confess that I don’t.

No, I don’t have any suggestions that would bypass the problems, because I feel that problems are fuel for our growth.  As Pastor Tom reminded us this morning, “Mountain tops are great, but we grow in the valleys.”  But I do want to suggest that the real issue is our attitude while we’re walking through those valleys.  

We ALL need a small number of really close friends with whom we can be totally transparent and who will hold us accountable.  We need someone who can remind us that the best remedy to take our minds off our own problems is to serve someone else.  Maybe it’s a coach; maybe it’s a peer mentor or peer coach; or maybe it’s just a very good friend…but someone who loves you enough to “shoot straight” and talk some “tough love.”

Have you got someone like that in your life?  What’s holding you back?

Prayer Power
Lord, we thank You for Your amazing grace that helps us get through those tough issues that come to us in the course of life.  We likewise thank You for those You have brought into our lives who can so effectively minister Your love and grace to us when we’re “going through it.”  Most of all, we just thank You for not giving up on us when we’re so focused on self that we’re totally ignoring You.  We are especially grateful for Your agape love.

Link of the Day
HelpOthers.org

Blessings on you as you walk through your valley today on the way to your next mountaintop.