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Devotions
Problem Versus Solution
Posted on: 12/01/2007
There is a phrase my husband uses a lot with our kids: "You've got two choices, kid, you can be part of the problem or part of the solution." It tends to be used in our household when resolving disputes or problems with friends at school. It helps the kids think about their actions in any situation and how they can choose to turn it around.
As many of you know, I have had some health problems recently and doctors are still trying to find a diagnosis. They give me a prescription to keep the episodes at bay and tell me to just take the pills and call them if I have any negative side effects. They tell me to go immediately to the ER if I experience any numbness, headaches or vomiting. They tell me to take it easy. They tell me to hold tight until my next MRI. I feel like a guinea pig undergoing a sick science experiment. And then the phrase comes to mind - I can be part of the problem or part of the solution. You see, I could play the 'poor me" card, I could be negative about it. I could be negative about every wrong situation that has happened in my life.
We could all be negative if we chose to. We could play the victim to parents who aren't there, parents who could have been better to us, parents who put too much on us causing us to grow up too fast. We could blame others for making us into the people we have become, saying it's their fault we are like this; if only I wasn't abused as a child, if only he didn't drink too much, if only I had more money, if only they cared enough, loved me enough, if only... if only... if only. You may not have had a choice in the way you were raised or in your particular circumstances; you may have made decisions to the best of your knowledge at the time and they turned out to be bad ones. But you do have the choice to find the positive - to see the silver lining. There are positives in any situation, even if you don't see them while in the midst of it.
I know this because God is there in any situation, leading you along His path. That is the biggest positive of all! He is always there, in every moment of your life. Just knowing that is cause for celebration! I have felt God's Spirit in me (literally) in the midst of my trials, and I am encouraged, inspired and on fire for the Lord! And I know I would have missed the Holy Spirit if I spent my time focusing on the negative. My heart would not have been open to the Lord and I wouldn't be writing to you now, I'd be at home moping and depressed. I would blame my depression on my health problems and I would be very unhappy. Negativity is a nasty thing - it spreads into all areas of your life and eventually eats your spirit away, you begin to keep company with other negative people or else those who will validate your behavior. It festers and grows, and you end up becoming one huge, nasty ball of negativity. (I searched for another word to use, but couldn't think of one). Who wants to be around that? It brings everybody down - nothing good can come of it.
We all have problems, no matter who we are or where we come from. Give your worries to the Lord and He will bring you peace. He will give you the courage to find solutions. Remember that God is there guiding you towards a peaceful, loving path. Make the choice to seek Him, and He will turn your trials into triumphs. Trust me - I've seen it happen many times before. When you think all is lost, you turn a corner and see the sun - a new day, a better place, a new hope.
So, what will your choice be? Are you going to be part of the problem? Or part of the solution?
Prayer: