A position opened up in your company, and you expressed an interest in it. But when your boss interviewed you, he informed you that not only had management decided not to fill that position, but that the company was eliminating your job as well. Surprise!
Your phone rang one evening just after you had retired and made more time for the family. As you groped to find the telephone receiver, you thought, "Who can be calling at this hour?" It was a friend telling of a death of a family member. You never thought it would happen, but it did.
How do you handle the unwelcome surprises of life?
Psychologists call it "coping". Some think of it as "rolling with the punches". With resignation others say, "That’s life!" But when unexpected surprises come our way, we can do one of two things: Fight them and become bitter, or reach out for the grace of God and become better because of what we have endured.
What is this commodity of the heart called "grace"? In simple terms, it is the help of God that enables us to cope with the pain and unwelcome surprises of life.
Long ago, the Apostle Paul faced many unwelcome surprises, things that he did not deserve and certainly didn’t ask for. As strange as it may seem, he welcomed them.
Speaking of a persistent "thorn in the flesh", Paul said, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
God gives grace to help us cope with the surprises of life which we neither expect nor think we deserve. While grace is always available, tapping into it or accepting it isn’t always easy. Bitterness and anger stifle its flow. A certain measure of humility is necessary for us to say, "Lord, this surprise is more than I can handle. I need Your help!"
Poverty of spirit comes when we have depleted our resources, when our charm, our looks, our money and connections are no longer enough to get us out of our jam. That’s when we know we need God.
"When I am weak," said Paul, "then I am strong." When unwelcome surprises confront you, learn about God’s grace, and you will also find strength to cope. It’s worth discovering. - Resource Reading: 2 Corinthians 12