What are some common mistakes I might make in handling problems? - Problems - TouchPoints

Job 10:18-19“‘Why, then, did you deliver me from my mother’s womb? Why didn’t you let me die at birth? It would be as though I had never existed, going directly from the womb to the grave.”

Mark 4:35-40As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

We may sometimes doubt God’s work in our lives. When the winds and waves of problems beat against us, it may seem that God is not paying attention. When we begin to doubt God’s work, we begin to doubt God himself, and then we begin to lose our faith. Now we have an even bigger problem. Recognize this emotional progression before it starts to happen. Then go to God in prayer and look for support from believing friends before you are tempted to abandon the very faith that could sustain you.

Genesis 16:3So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)

Impatience while facing a problem can tempt us to take matters into our own hands. Before making a rash decision, make sure you have talked to God about your problem and that your solution doesn’t violate God’s Word. Being too quick to “solve” your problem may not allow God to work it out in his timing.

Genesis 3:12-13The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

Genesis 16:5Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”

In our pain, shame, or guilt, we might be tempted to blame others for our problems, even if it was self-inflicted. Blaming others will not resolve the issue, and will only delay getting to the real cause.

Numbers 13:25-29After exploring the land for forty days, the men . . . reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country . . . But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!”

Focusing on all the negative possibilities related to our problems prevents us from seeing the positive potential of God at work for us. This approach makes molehills into mountains, and giants into monsters. God’s presence in our hearts and minds keeps everything in perspective.

Genesis 3:6-10The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

Genesis 16:8The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.

At times, we may feel like hiding or running away from our problems, rather than facing them. Our earliest ancestors perfected the approach. Not only does hiding and running have little effect on the problem, those tactics also prevent us from seeing the help God wants to give.