A Time for Everything

By Eric Pierre

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is anyexcellence, if there
is anything worthyof praise, think
about these things.” Philippians 4:8

he aforementioned passage is one of my favorite passages for me to read these days. I think it is real fitting considering what we’ve seen in the news. Within the last twelve months, we’ve seen history in our nation with the ascension of women and minorities into not only the national spotlight as candidates for both the Republican and Democratic Party, but for an African-American to be elected President of the United States for the first time in our nations history. We’ve seen the global economy go from being vibrant to become very fragile very quickly resulting in people all over the world losing their jobs, banks foreclosing, businesses that were staples closing the doors. We’ve seen celebrities that we loved and revered suddenly die such as Michael Jackson and Steve McNair. We’ve also witnessed politicians, who we had honestly believed were great people, commit acts of adultery and simply classify them as a “mistake” in judgment and has the world casting doubts about if there is any credibility left to anyone claiming the name of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps your situation is somewhat similar to what I described.  You lost your job because of the economy or because you didn’t want to “play along” with the crowd when you saw the crowd was influencing you to disobey the Lord. You were in a relationship with someone that you truly loved and honored and all the sudden, you find yourself alone.  That person you loved and cherished didn’t truly love you, and they were interested in either controlling you or just using you.

You sacrificed time, money, and resources for friends, family or folks in the church to help them out in the name of Jesus and those very folks never appreciate the things that you’ve done for them. What’s even worse is that when you are in the position in need, those very same folks are nowhere to be found.

I’m sure I can continue to describe the different types of heartbreaks, but the point is that I’m sure you can relate somewhere along the way. What probably makes it even more frustrating is that you look around and see folks who don’t love the Lord prosper while you are suffering. You see the very folks who took advantage of you reap off your work and not care about you all the sudden.

Yes my friends, life seems hard and unfair at times, but as from what Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes, as believers, we have to go through these seasons. We have our ups and we have our downs. I can personally speak from experience of having some of the greatest highs become lows in a heartbeat and it has been very difficult for me to deal with. There are days when I wonder when I am really discouraged with what I’ve had to encounter. It is easy to feel like you are alone and that no one can relate to your situation because most of the folks who try to help seem to be in a better situation currently than you are. A lot of folks tend to give the same clichés as their response in their efforts to do their part, but really don’t help. I know that feeling and many of you know as well.

So, what’s the answer then? Well, the answer my friends, just like when you were a small child in Sunday school is Jesus! The truth is that it’s easier said than done.  In fact, here’s a passage that hits me hard every time I get depressed, sad and anxious about a situation when I’m waiting for deliverance…

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything,  but in everything by prayer and supplication t with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9, ESV)

Yes, we are supposed to rejoice in God. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have a right to be upset or frustrated with your situation, but we have to cast our cares to God. We become anxious, our minds become distracted and that strays us away from focusing on the good things God is about to bring our way.

As I mentioned before, the truth is that this is easier said than done. So, I suggest that if you have a close friend in Christ, that you meet with them on a regular basis to receive encouragement though this season. To my friends in Christ, if you know of a brother or a sister that you clearly see that needs someone that could use a friend to walk through that storm, be that friend and do it. Trust me, it makes a big difference and God will bless you for being there for that person. Also, you never know because even though you might be doing very well, all it takes is one event, one transaction and you might be worse off than that person. Remember, what goes around, comes around.