Have you ever felt like a country music song? You know the song… the kind where the man loses his job; his wife leaves with the kids; his truck won’t start; and his dog is run over by a reindeer.  Given that we don’t want to be labeled as grumpy grandparents, nor do we want to model this attitude for our grandchildren, how do we handle daily trials and tribulations without becoming ungrateful, cantankerous or just plain crabby?

We begin by making the following choices:

Choose to be content:

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul exhorts us to rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4 ESV). This is mind-blogging advice from a man who suffered three shipwrecks and frequent imprisonments, not to mention floggings, beatings and being pelted by stones. Yet, Paul was thankful for his portion in life. 

Scripture tells us that Paul “learned to be content, whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11, emphasis mine). Contentment didn’t come naturally for Paul. It began on the road to Damascus when God shined a supernatural Q-beam on Paul’s sin and then wrapped him in forgiveness and grace. The learning curve continued for Paul through the persecutions, imprisonments and natural disasters.

We, too, can learn to be content in our circumstances. It begins when we confess the sin of serving two masters, God and ourselves. We confess to wanting what we want when we want it, and we confess to wanting—no, demanding from God—a life of ease. Then, we remember and give thanks for the many blessings God graciously bestows upon us.

Choose NOT to be ruled by our emotions:

One of my favorite devotionals, especially during times of trials and tribulations, is Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. Lettie and her husband, Charles, served as missionaries in Japan at the start of the twentieth century. For seventeen years, they established Bible Training Institutes where many flocked to hear the Word of God. Life was difficult for Lettie and her husband. During their time there, Lettie began to write about the hardships they encountered and their experiences walking in fellowship with the Lord. Her highly acclaimed devotional, Streams in the Desert, is the fruit of her labor. It includes her writings, plus verses of Scripture and inspirational pieces penned by other authors.

In her devotion, dated September 26, Lettie writes, “Our feelings may be as uncertain as the sea or the shifting sands. God’s facts are as certain as the Rock of Ages, even Christ Himself, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

When I am overwhelmed by a sea of emotions, I remind myself about the story of Peter’s attempt to walk on water. As long as he kept his sight on the Lord – the unchangeable God whose love fills the earth – Peter was doing fine. But the moment he looked down, he began to sink. God keeps us afloat amidst the most difficult circumstance; but the moment we cast a downward glance at the fears crashing against our ankles, we too begin to sink. Every time we are tempted to cave into our emotions, we need to remind ourselves that “the Lord is (our) strength and (our) shield; in him (our) heart trusts, and (we are) helped,” (Psalm 28:7).

Choose JOY.

In his book, Champagne of the Soul, author Mike Mason talks about his experiment in joy. For ninety-days, he made the decision to choose joy despite his circumstances. Some of the circumstances were nagging irritants, like cleaning up the dog’s diarrhea on the living-room carpet, while another circumstance dealt with indescribable, palpable grief. Throughout his experiment, Mr. Mason discovered that joy comes as an intentional choice

Joy is not conditional, circumstantial or dependent on external things. Joy is a condition of the heart that comes as a result of relying upon and abiding in Christ. The Psalmist writes, “in your presence, there is fullness of joy,” (Psalm 16:11). This is the reason we can experience unexplainable joy and peace in the midst of challenging and even heartbreaking circumstances. 

Conclusion:

This world is not kind; it is broken. Life continues to challenge and disappoint us. Furthermore, if we live long enough—which many of us have—we will at one time or another feel as though we are standing on shifting sand, bracing ourselves as another wave crashes against the shore and  threatens to topple us. The Good News is that when we face problems of any magnitude, we do not need to rely on our feelings, abilities, strength or fortitude. “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber,” (Psalm 121:2-3 NIV). 

Jesus’ words to the disciples are as timely and true today as they were three thousand years ago: “In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world,” (John 16:33, ESV). 

The Good News is that because of the steadfastness of God’s love, our lives don’t have to sound like a country music song. We don’t have to be grumpy grandparents!

¹ Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, Streams in the Desert (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondevan, 1965), 286).