"Teaching Problem Solving And Resilience"

“The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” (Psalm 34:19, NLT)

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT)

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:23-24, NLT)

The simple truth about problems is this: We are guaranteed to face them. The Bible makes this clear, but it also emphasizes that God will see us through. We don’t have to face them alone.

The theme of God’s provision is repetitively threaded into the tapestry of Scripture. We see it in the small problems and the large, the heaviest of which is our sin. Through our own efforts, this problem is too great to overcome. The harder our pride leads us to work, the more we slip. As we continue to fall, it is clear that the chasm is too steep and wide for us to climb through our own effort. In contrast, when we humble ourselves before God and express our faith in His provision, He lifts us up. Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we are cleansed and free to enter into relationship with Him (see Romans 3:23-24). To be completely clear, this does not mean that we will always be comfortable, prosperous, healthy, and carefree just because we trust Christ. What it does mean is that because our eternity with Him is secure, we can experience hope even in tough circumstances. It also means that He will use the challenges we face to bring glory to Himself.

It is good to teach our kids that problems are a predictable part of life in this fallen and unpredictable world. Peace comes from relying on God to carry us through these times. Hope is the product of seeing God’s provision as we face our problems; in contrast, fear and discouragement reign when we don’t depend on Him. A friend of mine who employed many young adults in his business told me that he has noticed one consistent difference between his most successful and least successful employees: their attitude toward problems. He’s convinced that much of that has to do with how they were parented as kids. Some seem used to facing and solving challenges, while others seem to have almost no experience with this.

He particularly remembers two employees whom he’d hired for the customer service team at about the same time. Less than six months into the job, one was overwhelmed and hopeless. He told my friend, “I’d be happy here, but it’s like there’s always some sort of problem. Every day there’s one problem after another. If there weren’t so many problems, everything would be fine.”

The other employee was also very young but had a completely different attitude. After a particularly difficult day, my friend thanked him for remaining cheerful while solving so many problems. This young man’s response was telling: “You’re welcome. I’m actually thankful for all these problems. If we didn’t have any around here, I wouldn’t have this job.”

Children who grow up facing manageable problems tend to be far happier and more secure teens and young adults. There is divine purpose in struggle: Hope is found not by avoiding problems but by experiencing God’s purpose for them.