{"id":877,"date":"2015-03-27T09:06:01","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T14:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=877"},"modified":"2019-05-17T14:58:07","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T19:58:07","slug":"our-problems-are-not-the-problem-overcoming-series-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2015\/03\/27\/our-problems-are-not-the-problem-overcoming-series-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Problems Are Not The Problem – Overcoming Series, Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Lydia Floren<\/a><\/p>\n

In the last blog Learning to Fish<\/a>, I said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is so easy to forget who Jesus is, and what God can do. \u00a0We have seen Him do amazing things yet when we face difficulties, we tend to focus on the problem instead of on The Solution. \u00a0\u00a0When we fixate on the problem, we might get to work trying to find a solution on our own. \u00a0The busier we get \u201csolving problems,\u201d the harder it is to remember what\u2014and Who\u2014is important. \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, our problems are not the problem.<\/p>\n

As long as we are in this world, we will have problems. In fact, Jesus words are startlingly clear:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The problem is we forget these 2 key truths: \u00a0problems are a part of life on earth, and Jesus has overcome the world.<\/p>\n

Problems are a part of life on earth.<\/strong> \u00a0\u201cIn this world you will have trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

We all have problems. \u00a0But no one wants <\/em>them. \u00a0We want a life of comfort, undisturbed by pain or distress. \u00a0So one reaction we might have to difficulties is to deny that they exist. If we aren’t careful, avoidance or denial can become our primary modus operandi, and it is driven by fear. We are afraid of future problems, or that a difficulty won\u2019t be resolved to our satisfaction. We try to please everybody. We smooth things over. \u00a0We worry. \u00a0We think that burying our heads in the sand will just make problems go away.<\/p>\n

In order to truly overcome, we must first accept that we will have problems throughout our lives. \u00a0No one escapes this reality. <\/em>\u00a0According to one study, in a person\u2019s life the average time span between one problem and the next it is 2 weeks. \u00a02 weeks! \u00a0That means that, at best, we may have a 14 days reprieved after our last \u201cissue\u201d before we are faced with our next one. While that may sound depressing on the surface, it is really quite liberating, and here\u2019s why: \u00a0when we know that difficulties will come, we are less surprised by them. \u00a0We can see them as part of the fabric of life, rather than a \u201cdetour\u201d from the life we imagined.<\/p>\n

\"eore\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Eeyores among us<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now there are some \u201cEeyores\u201d among us. \u00a0Eeyore, the donkey from the Winnie the Pooh stories, was a cup-half-empty kind of guy. \u00a0He always found something to worry about. \u00a0Lest you become like\u2014or more like– Eeyore, let me be clear: \u00a0Accepting that there will be difficulties on our journey does not <\/em>mean we are to anticipate trouble around every bend.<\/p>\n

When we expect the worst, we live in a pretty dismal reality, and so we tend to cope with this by either enduring or escaping. \u00a0Here\u2019s what I mean:<\/p>\n

Enduring. If we believe that life is no more than a long series of problems, we might decide that the best we can do is endure it. \u00a0We may develop a victim mentality or become poisoned with self-pity.<\/p>\n

Escaping. An alternative to enduring is to try to escape life\u2014to check out, via our favorite addiction (food, social media, TV, games, work, thrills, sex, porn, substance abuse, etc.) But the distraction doesn\u2019t cure our hopelessness.<\/p>\n

Choose to accept problems as a part of life, but don\u2019t stop there\u2014also embrace the truth that Christ has overcome. \u00a0The second half of Jesus\u2019 statement is much more important than the first:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus has overcome the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it is important for us to accept troubles as a normal part of life, it is even more crucial to remember this: \u00a0Jesus has overcome the world.<\/p>\n

What exactly does \u201covercome the world\u201d mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Greek, \u201covercome\u201d means \u201cto conquer, or prevail\u201d, and the literal translation for \u201cthe world\u201d is \u201can ordered system.\u201d \u00a0Putting these together, Jesus said that He has conquered the ordered system we have been living in, a system riddled with evil and deception.<\/strong> His victory is far more profound than a political coup or a military conquest. His victory is over evil itself<\/strong>! His triumph spans generations and penetrates every willing soul.<\/p>\n

So where does that leave us with our troubles?<\/strong><\/p>\n