As a South African, at the moment, it is a chaotic time in my nation. I love this nation I love its people but there are aspects of life [currently] that are not likable. In fact they are downright detestable. One of those aspects is the terrible crime levels in my nation. I can't tell you how many people I personally know who have been victims of crime, or had a close neighbor/friend/family member be a victim of crime. And crime, much like disease, is not partial to one group and not another. It doesnt care about your race or even your religion. So many Christians wish it did, that we are automatically deleted from a criminals attack list just because we are Christian. But sadly this is not always the case.
For those who don't keep trend of crime in South Africa, we are not just talking smash and grabs, its violent crime, hijackings and home invasions. This nation also sadly has a high abuse rate. As beautiful as its nature is and as beautiful as most of its people are and as rich as it is in colorful culture....crime is a stain on the face of South Africa.
Our politics . . . well, what can even be said? Especially this week with so much change and upheaval caused in the ranks? if you are not from South Africa go and browse the news sights, see what happened. overnight many of our ministers where removed and replaced. it happened so close to April fools day that some possibly wondered if it was a joke. our economy is in a downward spiral as a result, our people are confused and concerned. It has sent waves of uncertainty through the land.
Durban has had its share of rubbish lately as well. The sea bit back and caused damage to local businesses on our beach front as a massive wave swept over the sands, over the promenade and into the restaurants situated there. Then a factory caught on fire, that burned for days, with a massive black pollutant cloud hovering over the city for days, affecting our environment and health. Up the hill near where i work there is a constant smell of decay, rot, sewerage and toxic fumes from a landfill.
My life itself is not a walk in the park right now. There are situations beyond my control that are causing anxiety, stress and affecting even my health. The more I try do right in these situations, the more wrong seems to happen.
There is so much that can and does happen, so much beyond our control. I work for a doctor, so often we see patients have life slap them in the face unexpectedly.
So what do we do in the midst of it?
We stand!
I know its not what we want to do, I know many of us want to either give up or run from it. But sometimes when all is said and done, all you can do is stand!
Ephesians 6: 13b .... "and after you have done everything, to stand."
And then it goes on to list the armor with which we stand firm in. Now I am not going to regurgitate a sermon we have often heard about the armor of God. But note that it mentions these word; truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, Word of God.
What I encourage you in, as the poop hits the fan and life happens, don't let it affect the things list above. Rather let the things listed above affect your circumstances. So many times we allow our circumstances to cause us to act in ways that are not righteous. We allow our circumstances to erode our faith. Taint our view of God. In our desperation to strike back and defend sometimes we taint the truth. We turn to opinion instead of His word. We are so caught up in ourselves that we stop sharing our faith, the Gospel.
Far too often we react to our situations, and allow them to consume us, instead of standing firm in what God has given us. Trust me I know that it is difficult. Life has been extremely unkind and downright horrid to me at times, to the point that PTSD took hold. but it doesn't change who God is, and what God has done for me.
When you feel like you cant stand, that is ok. That is why God is always with us. That is also why [and when] friends come into play. Don't be so proud that you don't reach out for help that is always readily available.
We all love the promises of God. Especially the nice ones. But one of those promises found in John 16:33 says, "In this world you WILL have trouble..." None of us like this promise. We kind of want to delete it. . . but Jesus doesn't stop there, he finishes it off with the best part of the promise, "...BUT TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."
For all those struggling at the moment, including myself. I encourage you to stand firm! and take heart!
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