Where have you been? Just kidding. The real question is where have I been? I lost a week. Not in Real Life, but in Media Life. It was Real Life that held Media Life captive!

Like me, several of you have lived a difficult two weeks, and some are still in the throes of life even now.  I know some of you have spent time in the hospital, either as a patient or caring for a patient. Your life is consumed with issues of health at the moment. Several of you have suffered the loss of someone you love dearly, which always stops us in our tracks. Others have been focused on managing challenging relationships, taking extra time to do your part to keep the peace.

I was stopped in my tracks last week when I went to visit my elderly father and discovered him to be near death. Being conscious, he relayed to me, “It’s my time”. The medical staff confirmed, I called in the family, and we said our goodbyes as we prepared for his transition into heaven on that day.

About three hours later, he rallied, quit dying and started living again. My gracious! What a roller coaster of emotions! We were jerked around, thrown down, lifted up. We found ourselves speeding, creeping, laughing, crying. All the feels were there that day.

I expect you’ve had days with all the feels as well. It can be exhilarating or it can suck the life out of you. It can break you down or it can propel you forward.

We’re all over the place in life!

And as much as we’d like to think we are,  rarely are we in control of our own circumstances. But on the flip side, our circumstances do not have to control us. No, we cannot always control how our day plays out, but we can certainly control how we manage those unexpected days.

I’ve had the privilege of sharing portions of your hard days with several of you lately. I’ve watched you walk through the difficulties while you hurt, grieve, battle, grapple, and grasp for answers. I’ve observed your balance of grief with grace, fighting with peace, grappling with waiting. I notice you have some systems set up from which you draw strength, patience, and wisdom.

There’s the balance.

Those who have a relationship with Christ possess inner resources that empower them to manage their outer circumstances.  They operate in life based on what they know to be true, rather than what they feel. They take the time to consider what they’re facing, formulate a wise response, then take action in a way that brings life rather than causes further destruction.   

Years ago, a good friend of mine taught me to ask, “What do I know to be true about God?”

I have found this to be an appropriate question, no matter what is staring me in the face. This is Step One in my system for managing life’s circumstances. The question brings balance to my emotions, which will often betray me.  A focus on the truth about God draws my attention to His promises. Then I am equipped to make decisions and choices based upon His promises that are forever true.

Employing this system played out for me last week at my father’s deathbed. Although full of grief, I was empowered to manage that entire circumstance with a sense of indescribable peace, in a calm manner that influenced others and impacted our situation. The true promises of God carried greater weight than the strong sense of emotions. Peace overwhelmed the emotion.

What does your system look like? Share with us in the comments below so we can learn from each other.

And if you haven’t developed your system, please take my Step One and make it yours today…the truth about God is the strongest place to start!