You Are Not Your Circumstance
Each and every day we stare into situations that we need to make decisions for. Some decisions are easy and quickly made, while others seem to consume our entire day and we feel overwhelmed by them. When we are consumed by a situation or a circumstance, we miss a lot. We become totally wrapped up in what we are doing and we go through our day(s) with tunnel vision. In these instances, we can be completely blind to our surroundings. This can become dangerous. This is where we tend to let our circumstances attempt to define who we are. Anxiety, stress, fear and hopelessness begin to enter our minds. There seems to be no way that there could possibly be happiness in a time like this. Joy, peace, patience and kindness get pushed aside and all we can think about is how our circumstances changed, in what seems like, an instant. Before we know it we let our circumstance define us.
Paul went through some tremendous hardships BUT he never lost who he was in the midst of all his trials. His ‘seasons’ in life didn’t have an impact on who he was. They helped shape him in to what God needed him to be…as He does for us as well. (2 Corinthians 6:3-10) We are defined by God; He created us and not the world. The world may take us down at times but God picks us up all the time.
There is hope in every situation that we go through. God is our hope. Seasons do not stay forever. They come and go. And through them all, God is faithful. Not one of His children is ever forgotten about or left behind. Hardships happen but they don’t last. We learn and we move on. We gain the wisdom and knowledge to be happy, kind, and even at peace when we are being told the opposite. God is faithful and He is working in the storm. He is protecting us in the fight and I assure you that He is.
Remember Paul’s words:
“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13.
You are not defined by your circumstances. Your circumstances should be defined by you.