We must realize, understand, and know that negative situations will occur. Know that we will make a mistake. Know that we will fail at times. Know that things will break or not work. Know that we will overreact. Know that things will sometimes not go as we expect or plan. This is all part of it.

Life is uncertain. Life is full of change. Not if, but when.

Knowing gives us power.

Knowing ahead of time that the negative situation will occur, we can plan for it and choose our response.

We can have a ready defense.

We do not have to be caught off guard or surprised.

So, consider, what can we do to set ourselves up for success when we encounter a negative situation?

We can plan, prepare, and then proceed.

I remember vaguely from when I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace course years ago that he said one of the first things you needed to do was have an emergency fund because something would break or need replacing. Not if, but when. Having an emergency fund caused it to not feel like such a big deal when the item broke or needed replaced because you knew it was going to happen and had prepared for it. It is still not fun to have to spend the money replacing the item but it is better to have the money to replace the item than to be stressed about how it will get fixed or have to go into debt.

We will have arguments. We will disagree. We will have different opinions. We will overreact. Thing will not go as we plan.

The question is how do we want to respond when these things happen?

We can plan and prepare. We can decide ahead of time how we want to respond in these situations.

We can train ourselves to respond positively in difficult situations. We can become emotionally mature. We can allow the Holy Spirit to transform us so that we respond in love. We can practice responding well. And keep practicing. Daily practice. We can choose ahead of time how we want to show up, how we want to react.

I think too often we think it shouldn’t be this difficult. Or we are surprised by the challenges of life. We’ve been trained to think it should be easy and convenient then when it’s not we get mad and upset at ourselves or others.

A couple weeks ago one of our ministers shared this chart from Tim Elmore. I found the chart and the following quote in his book, 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid: Leading Your Kids to Succeed in Life.

“Our SCENE Today:

Our world is full of:                            Consequently, they tend to assume:

1. Speed                                                                 1. Slow is bad.                                       

2. Convenience                                                       2. Hard is bad.                                                  

3. Entertainment                                                     3. Boring is bad.                                        

4. Nurture                                                               4. Risk is bad.                                          

5. Entitlement                                                          5. Labor is bad.

Ironically, the things young people want to avoid are necessary for them to mature authentically. Slow, hard, boring, risky, laborious…there are the very challenges that prepare me to become a good man, a good husband, a good father, a good employee, a good employer. Many life skills that once naturally developed in us now atrophy in today’s culture. So we must be far more intentional about leading our kids into opportunities to build these skills.”

We must realize that slow, hard, boring, risk, and labor are essential to life.

Challenges build GRIT in us and strengthen our character. Boring often gives birth to creativity and imagination. Risk opens us up to new possibilities and makes us brave. Life takes work. Work creates a sense of accomplishment in us and gives meaning to our lives.

Things take time. Change takes time. Life is full of ups and downs. This is all part of it. We are in the process of becoming. We are students of life. We are learning as we go. We’ve never done this before.

Keep going! When you get knocked down keep getting up!

For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. Proverbs 24:16 NLT

For the lovers of God may suffer adversity and stumble seven times, but they will continue to rise over and over again. Proverbs 24:16 TPT

We must keep getting up! We must keep going!

We must plan, prepare, and proceed.

I like the High Valley song Don’t Stop. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl0DN2qu4O4

It says,

Whatever you do, don’t stop
Whatever you do, don’t stop

Dream it, even if it don’t come true
Being who you are
There’s only one of you
When holding on to heaven
Is all you got
Whatever you do, don’t stop

We are resilient. We have more power than we think. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, helping us! We can do hard things. We can change. We can prepare. We can ask God for help and He will provide.

We’ve got this! And God’s got us!