On Preventing Heartache

"See, O Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious." Lamentations 1:20

How often have I cried out to God that I am distressed, in torment and disturbed? I can't even count the times. But how many times have I claimed responsibility for my own distress? The speaker of these words from Lamentations got right to the heart of the issue - our rebellion against God will always lead to our own sorrow.

So often we blame our problems on other people, and perhaps, even more often, we blame our distress on our circumstances. Yes, sometimes, it really is someone else's fault that we're suffering, or it really is our circumstances that are leading us to feel sad, angry and hopeless. Jesus gives us advice on how to deal with people who we feel are just in our lives to make us miserable: Love them. Plain and simple, no arguments or excuses. Just love them the way He loves you. (Matthew 5:44) And when it's our circumstances that are getting us down? Admit that God is in control of them and cling to Him while you wait to see what He's up to (1 Peter 5:7). Perhaps He's got something to teach you. Perhaps He's got better circumstances waiting on the other side of this present struggle. We never know until we can look back, but our future is His present.

But what happens if we choose not to love our enemies? What happens if we take our circumstances into our own hands and refuse to trust the One who knows the beginning from the end? Well, then we are "most rebellious" and deserve the distress and torment that enters our hearts.

What's the alternative? The answer is simple: obedience through faith. Do what God tells you to do. Whether He tells you to act or to sit quietly while He acts, do it. It won't make all of your problems go away, but it will certainly eliminate the ones that are preventable. Life is hard enough. Do we really want to make it harder for ourselves? I know I don't!