There are situations in life where circumstances are both painful and beyond our control. One way of surviving during those times is to refuse to engage with the circumstance which is like digging an emotional foxhole. One tries to keep his head down to keep it from getting blown off.

I’ve been in difficult circumstances in which I’ve used the foxhole strategy to avoid conflict. The problem is that the foxhole is only meant for short-term occupation. One can’t stay in the foxhole forever.

In thinking about some of my own circumstances where I’ve tried to keep my head low, the story of Gideon came to mind. His story can be found in the Bible beginning in Judges 6:11.

The story opens with Gideon hiding in a winepress so that he does not attract the attention of the Midian overlords. He does not want his enemy to know that he is processing wheat. He is hiding because it seemed to him to be the only way he could survive.

Based on the beginning of the story, Gideon would not be anyone’s first choice as the person most likely to lead Israel to a victory over Midian. But it is interesting to note that the Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and calls him a “man of valor (ESV).” This is ironic given the fact that the man of valor is hiding in fear when he is addressed by this title.

When I look at the pressure the church is facing both from within and without, I feel like Gideon in the winepress.

When I look at the dysfunction from previous generations that I unwittingly propagate in my generation, I feel like Gideon in the winepress.

When I see the culture around me crumbling into acrimony and anarchy, I feel like Gideon in the winepress.

Like Gideon I feel like I am in the winepress because I feel helpless to affect change in these circumstances.

But by God’s grace and as a result of His calling, Gideon didn’t stay in the winepress. He stepped out in obedience and in the end, Gideon was used by God to affect change in his circumstances and for the nation as a whole. Gideon took a risk. Gideon stepped out in faith. Gideon chose to rely on God.

The question for me is whether I am willing to rely on God and take a risk if God calls me to do something. Am I willing to be misunderstood? Am I willing to be reviled by those who don’t agree with me?

Am I willing to step out in faith and challenge the Midianites in my life? Are you?

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I have heard it said that people can be divided into three groups:

1. Those who are in a trial
2. Those who have come out of a trial
3. Those who are going into a trial

As I write this, I am dealing with some stuff that puts me in category 1.

I am working through some hard stuff in my family. For a number of reasons, I chose not to go into detail about the nature of the trials. But suffice it to say that they are difficult enough to strip away any illusion that I have any control over my circumstances.

But in the midst of this, I read what King David wrote in Psalm 55:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

Psalm 55:22, CSB

If I cast the burden on God he promises to sustain me. The bottom line is that either this promise is true or it is not. I can choose to believe it or I can chose to disbelieve.

I have chosen to believe and thus far, God has sustained me. Somehow, I have not been overwhelmed by the difficulties.

Ah, but you might wonder if I have truly connected with the reality of the circumstances I am encountering. Perhaps I am simply in denial. Perhaps I don’t understand the gravity of the problems.

Maybe, but then I read that David took on lions and bears in protecting his sheep. Did he not understand the danger that such beasts present?

I’m sure David understood the gravity of his situation, but he also understood that God was with him and he never doubted the outcome.

I’m sure that as things unfold, there are emotions still to be felt and tears yet to be shed. But I can say that so far, I feel as though no matter what happens, I will be OK.

As Job said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job 1:21, CSB

Paul shares his perspective in Philippians 4:

“ I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:11–13, CSB

From a temporal perspective, the worst is yet to come. I know that and it does scare me. I’m also aware that when things get harder, I will have to wrestle with feelings of self pity and abandonment.

But from an eternal perspective, I know that God has not stopped being God, nor has anything that has happened to me or around me has escaped his notice or control.

I must rest in that.

If you are encouraged by this post or would like to make a comment, please use the comment form below to offer your feedback. If you are reading this in an email and would like to comment, you can reply to the email or click on the “Read in browser” link below to go to the web page where you can enter a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

I was recently asked about my calling and where I see myself with regard to Christian ministry.

In thinking about how to respond to this question, it comes to me that whatever the answer is, it must be rooted in the two great commands to love God and love neighbor.

First, I must confess that I feel very deficient in fulfilling either of these commands. Or, perhaps more correctly, I don’t do very well at either of these commands in my own strength. I have much to learn about how to more deeply love God and others.

Like our first parent in the Garden, I often try to find excuses for my failures to love. I could point to people that are critical, difficult, indifferent, or hostile to me as those who make it impossible for me to fulfill this command. But, in reality, the failure is my own fault. I have no legitimate excuse.

The fact that difficult people are in my life does not provide a reason to be unloving. That person whose criticism of me seems to be non-stop, also should be loved and not avoided. Those persons who have unrealistic expectations that they place on me; they should be loved also.

If I love those who love me back, Jesus remains unimpressed. If, on the other hand, I love the ones who don’t deserve it, that is another story. Jesus even went so far at to tell us that even our enemies should be loved.

The point of this ramble is that any idea of Christian calling needs to be rooted in these two commands. These commands are a good starting point to figure out what I am being called to do in life.

So, for today, I want to go back to basics and meditate on these two commands and look for opportunities to follow them. Some questions I’m asking myself:

• Am I taking the time in Scripture reading, meditation, and prayer to deepen my relationship to God?
• Am I willing to be open with others about my relationship with God?
• Am I willing to see other people the way God sees them? (Hint: like me they are flawed, but created in the image of God and therefore valuable)
• Am I willing to forgive the faults in others and seek to see the good in them, trusting that God is working in them to accomplish his purpose?
• Am I willing to be inconvenienced when someone needs help? Or, am I like the priest and Levite in the story of the Good Samaritan?
• Am I actively looking for opportunities to love God and others or am I consumed by getting my own (perceived) needs met?

The list of ways the two great commands should be applied is seemingly endless.

But building any sort of “ministry” or calling without this foundation would be a waste of time and effort.

If you are encouraged by this post or would like to make a comment, please use the comment form below to offer your feedback. If you are reading this in an email and would like to comment, you can reply to the email or click on the “Read in browser” link below to go to the web page where you can enter a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

My assumption is that everyone has difficult people in their lives. We have people with whom we must interact for one reason or another, but much of that interaction is unpleasant or draining. I’m thinking of coworkers, family members, church members, neighbors, etc.

The Apostle John described Jesus as being “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and as I think of these relationships, I think of the balance between these two attributes.

But as I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, this balance is somewhere between difficult and impossible for me to maintain. Whether it is by personality or by training, I think that each of us tends to gravitate toward one or the other. Some of us are gracious to the point where the truth gets lost. Some of us are ungracious in our application of truth to the people around us.

While listening to the Psalms recently, two verses in Psalm 34 captured my ear:

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech. Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Psalm 34:13–14, CSB

The last phrase especially challenged me where the Psalmist says, “seek peace and pursue it.”

I would rather just avoid the difficult people in my life. And when they are unavoidable, it is so much easier to tune them out and look for an excuse to escape the interaction.

But when I read the gospels, I am challenged that this is not how Jesus operated when he encountered difficult people. Jesus always spoke the truth in the way it was needed to be spoken. To the Pharisees, Jesus’ speech seems harsh, but such speech was needed to break through their hard-boiled religious shell.

Jesus sought peace with them, but peace had to be on the basis of truth.

So, how does this challenge me? It challenges me to hang in when relationships get difficult. I know I can do a better job of seeking peace with the difficult people in my life without compromising who God has called me to be and what God has called me to do.

As I write this post, two categories of difficult people come to mind:

1. Those who feel authorized to place expectations upon you.
2. Those who are overly or severely critical of you.

In category 1 are those who will be happy to tell you God’s will for your life and authoritatively tell you how your life needs to be changed.

In category 2 are those who constantly criticize and find fault with you. For a humorous illustration of this, check out the Geico “We have Aunts” commercial.

My guess is that each of us could name at least one person in our lives that falls into each category.

Yet, I am challenged by the Psalm 34 to seek peace with these people, a thought that is also echoed by the Apostle Paul:

“If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Romans 12:18, CSB

For me, this seems like a challenge to hang in on these relationships and be more willing to be hurt by the difficult people in my life. I don’t need to act on the unrealistic expectations placed upon me and I don’t need to allow the unfair criticism to make me defensive or hostile.

One caveat needs to be mentioned. If the level of criticism or “direction” reaches the point where further interaction is detrimental to your well being, it is certainly acceptable to temporarily or permanently distance yourself from that person. Neither the Psalmist or the Apostle Paul give us any indication that we are called to be doormats.

That being said, I am challenged to be slower in pulling the withdraw and avoid card. I am challenged to be willing to encounter the hurt so that I can be used by God in that difficult place.

If you are encouraged by this post or would like to make a comment, please use the comment form below to offer your feedback. If you are reading this in an email and would like to comment, you can reply to the email or click on the “Read in browser” link below to go to the web page where you can enter a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.