Hurricane Fabian in Bermuda
Everybody who has ever walked the face of this earth has had problems to deal with. Problems don’t discriminate. they visit both: male and female, young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick, employed and unemployed, God-fearing people as well as heathens, Southerners and Yankees, Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), straight and gay, the free and the enslaved. A person’s strength of character is ultimately determined by the manner in which they handle these problems as they arise throughout the walk of life. There are some problems that are preceded by indicators of their existence and then there are others that pop up completely unannounced and out of the blue. The first step toward solving any problem is acknowledgement. Isolating and acknowledging that there IS a problem that needs to be addressed is the most
difficult action for some to handle.
When’s the last time you’ve gone to see a doctor?
Doctor? For what??! Ain’t nothing wrong with me, I feel fine! I ain’t going to no doctor!
Your phone is ringing.
I know.
Aren’t you going to answer it?
Naw..I don’t feel like talking to that person right now.
Hey ya’ll!!! It’s about 10 laws that just pulled up in the parking lot!!
Aww mane!! (jumping up with a frantic look in the eyes) I gotta get out of here!! Where’s the back door!!!??
Hello?
Hey..are you STILL in the bed??
Yeah..I just laid back down for a little bit.
Are you okay??
What do you mean?
For the past couple of weeks, ALL you do is sleep..is everything alright?
Yeah..I’m okay, I just stay so tired all the time.
Some people try to ignore their problems for as long as they can..until the time comes when the problem is manifested into a direct physical form that they HAVE to address. This physical manifestation can occur in a variety of forms, it can be a repossessed vehicle, a notice of foreclosure, a divorce decree or an arrest warrant. For some it can be a physical pain that they can no longer bear quietly or an emotional pain that consumes all of the energy in their body and leaves but an outer shell vaguely similar to the person they ‘used’ to be. It’s easy to fall into the childish mentality of crawling in bed and curling up into a tight fetal position. Covers pulled tightly over the head, instantly shielded and protected from those gnawing problems that are eagerly waiting to devour. The obvious truth is that ignoring problems will not make them go away. Ignoring problems will only make the potential for pain that much greater. So many problems start out small and seemingly insignificant, but because of lack of attention, they grow into larger problems. An oil light in the dash of the car might start
blinking intermittently, then it starts staying on all the time, all the while the driver never address’s this ‘small’ problem. And weeks later when the car is smoking on the side of the road, engine locked up without a drop of oil in it. These are the types of problems that have early detection symptoms that should be addressed as soon as possible. The age-old saying is true, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
There are also problems that have no warning signs, and arrive like a sucker punch to the gut. If a person doesn’t already have strong intestinal fortitude, these ‘blows’ can completely take the breath away. They can show up by way of a call from the doctor’s office, blood test results or a life-changing experience in the bathroom. It can be a knock at the door by a messenger bearing bad news, an army official, a state trooper, a neighbor or a family member. These problems can show up in a conversation with the person that you love the most or from the mouth of the person you most despise. No matter how many tears a person cries, or how vehementlycries are screamed, problems are not solved by lamentations.
Once acknowledged, problems can be separated into 2 different categories, those that can be humanly controlled and those that can’t. Some people become so consumed by problems that are completely out of their control, that they worry themselves into a sickness. On the other end of the spectrum are the people that walk around like fools and never address even the simplest of problems, almost functioning in a fantasy world of delirium. One thing’s for sure, no matter how problems are (or not) addressed, the world keeps on spinning. It is all of our choice to decide how we’re going to deal with the reality of life’s problems. The people who experience the most problems and refuse to yield or give up, and instead fight through these problems, are the people who are the strongest. Because its only when we’ve been brought down to our lowest, that we can raise our head up the highest to God. Prayers of strength, like the well known gospel verse “..Lord, don’t move my mountain, just give me the strength to climb..” are an example of the type of attitude and strength necessary to get through the most difficult problems.
So many choose not to acknowledge, believe or fear the Almighty God, but as soon as they approach a closeness to death, they end up screaming the loudest to Him for help. And then there are those that pray to God for help, but as soon as they don’t see any immediate evidence of their prayers being answered, they turn away and stop praying and stop believing. Mad at God and the world for the condition that they’ve found themselves in. No one can measure another person’s pain or hurt, because everybody is different. But until a problem is addressed, through prayer and through diligence, it will always be a deterrent in the quest for happiness. Bad habits, work, family, car, house, finances, legal issues, health issues, etc., there’s always something that can potentially be a problem. But the task for us all, is to deal with these problems the best way we can as they arise. So often the problems we have, once we persevere and make it through, we can look back on
them in retrospect and know that we’re a better and stronger person because of them. Much like the trees blowing in the swirling wind of Hurricane Fabian, we must stand steadfast and unmovable in our faith towards God.
Whenever I feel my problems to be the most intense and overwhelming, I can always be soothed by reading the book of Job, praying to God for strength or listening to one of my favorite songs, by the late Rev. Paul Jones, “I Won’t Complain”..
I've had some good days
I've had some hills to climb
I've had some weary days
And some sleepless nights
But when I look around
And I think things over
All of my good days
Outweigh my bad days
I won't complain
Sometimes the clouds are low
I can hardly see the road
I ask a question, Lord
Lord, why so much pain?
But he knows what's best for me
Although my weary eyes
They can't see
So I'll just say thank you Lord
I won't complain
The Lord
Has been so good to me
He's been good to me
More than this old world or you could ever be
He's been so good
To me
He dried all of my tears away
Turned my midnights into day
So I'll just say thank you Lord
I've been lied on
But thank you Lord
I've been talked about
But thank you Lord
I've been misunderstood
But thank you Lord
You might be sick
Body reeking with pain
But thank you Lord
The bills are due
Don't know where the money coming from
But thank you Lord
I won't complain
Copyright © 2003 www.servinemup.com All Rights Reserved
