Blessings of a Drippy Faucet

Ask yourself a few questions: What is darkness? What is hate? What is evil? Answers: Darkness is the absence of light. Hate is the absence of love. Evil is the absence of goodness. If these things exist only when something is absent, how do we manage them? We can’t remove darkness; but we can shine a light on it. We can’t remove hatred from someone else, but we can meet that hatred with love, providing the opportunity for that person to grow in love as well. Unfortunately, we can’t remove evil from this fallen world, but we can combat it with goodness. What is the source of light, love, and goodness? God is the source. So, it is important to understand that when faced with darkness, hatred, or evil, we should rely heavily on God to help us. Why do you think we should rely heavily on God? Because the human side of us cannot respond to darkness, hatred, and evil productively without the Holy Spirit. The human reaction is to retaliate, causing the cycle to gain destructive momentum. Did you know we can actually choose how we see challenges? When we choose to see them as the means to achieve a breakthrough, our attitude is positive. When our attitude is positive, the outcome is positive. We know we need those challenges to help us grow. The absence of adversity will not propel us forward in our journey; at best, it will keep us where we are. If we aren’t ripening on the vine... we are dying on the vine (have I made this point well enough?). In order to become the best version of ourselves, which is what God wants for us, those challenging circumstances are not only necessary, but we should also be grateful for them. That may sound like an overreach in expectations, but believe me when I say I actually embrace challenges because I know something good is coming from them. However, it requires a daily renewing of my mind to embrace it this way. Much like darkness and hatred, challenges and difficulties also only exist when something is absent. So, what is absent when there is something holding us back? Likely, a positive attitude that we can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Perhaps we have a negative perspective about the situation, and we need to change our point of view before we can righteously defeat that challenge. Does that sound too simple for life’s complexities? Stay with me; the next chapter will help you learn how. The idea is to take a positive approach in life with our fears and challenges to understand what we might do and how we can grow to overcome them. God can work wonders in us when we have a positive approach. Storms in nature can be a nuisance and downright scary, but they are simply a facet of life that we can’t avoid. Stormy circumstances in our lives are no different. They often are extremely necessary to invoke change: change in direction, change in attitude, change in endurance. During these storms, we may cry out for relief because we can’t seem to withstand the storm. But just like we can’t stop a storm in nature to soothe a scared child, God can’t just stop a storm in our lives and expect us to grow at the same time. But He can comfort and strengthen us through His word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for, doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Scripture helps us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right to overcome what we face. Is there currently a storm raging in your world? Have you cried out to God? “O God, hear my cry! Attend to my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-3). Do you feel as though He doesn’t hear you? I can assure you He hears you. Remember that God is not a genie or a “wish grantor” but a God who does everything for our good. We can’t know what He is doing in the background; we have to trust Him and manage ourselves through the storm. “This is my command: be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (. Joshua 1:9). Sometimes God will calm the storm, and sometimes He needs to calm the child through the storm so that we can grow in strength, endurance, and character. When we face every problem at the onset with a positive attitude, we have a better chance of the outcome being positive. Once we accept that challenges and difficulty are necessary for our spiritual growth, we can put it all into proper perspective. This approach empowers us to make life what we want it to be. It allows God to work with the obedient and coachable heart within us.