Handling Life Challenges

As an individual, there has been so many times in your life when you felt like crying every single day, pain so real and so burdensome that it saps you of all energy and strips you of all motivation, probably you have often sobbed over the state of your life and you felt bitter, battered, and traumatized so much so that you may have wished you could reverse your life to take fresh decisions that would alter your life today for the better. You may be tired with a habit you are used to, something you are addicted to and yet you never have the power to stop. You may have bitterness, anger and regrets from some kind of abuse. You may have caused pain and emotional trauma on someone especially those closest to you and now you are living in its guilt. The list goes on and on, and as a result of all these problems, depression can easily set in. Every individual or generation in this life has its own problem, and how well or successful a generation is, depends on how successfully it has solved its own problems.

Suffering is a fact of life; life will not be what it would be without it. Suffering is to life, like spice is to food. Take away suffering in this life, and life would loss its meaning. Problem may be seen as anything that is difficult to deal with; words like obstacles, barriers have been used as synonyms to problem. The word is being used in our day to day life to describe a certain condition one cannot cope with.

Problem is one of the critical challenges that every generation has to face. That is why in spite of our scientific and medical advancement, we still have to deal with it. This is a problem that has to do with human pains, sufferings, agonies and calamities. In the west and northern America, there are pain killers across the country’s patient stores. In Nigeria however, we have the proliferation of bear parlors, joints etc.

The proliferation of churches in Africa is part of the effort to answer the question, “why do problem and suffering exist? Problem is inevitable; life is full of such negative circumstances. Life is not like the bed of roses. Since there is no rain without sunshine, there is no joy without sorrow, likewise, there will be no happiness without passing through difficulties and problems.3 “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. So, without passing through problem, people cannot be what they ought to be. It was said that repeated victories over problem are the rungs on your ladder to success.4 Problem is therefore, inevitable. That is, something you cannot do without going or passing through.

Problem could be as a mountain before the victim that falls into it, in which the victim tries to climb the mountain but appears to be insurmountable. One cannot run away from problem, but problem can run towards its victim and even to get hold of the victim and at the end, it is either the problem overcomes the victim or the victim succeeds in overcoming the problem. Therefore, problem could be positive or negative, it affects every aspect of life, and no living being will ever be free from problem.

According to Advance Learners Dictionary, problem is a thing that is difficult to deal with, or to understand. Some defined problem thus; “a difficult or doubtful matter or situation requiring a solution, or a question that is difficult to answer or decide”.5 In other words, problem is a question that can be answered using logical thoughts.

Generally, problem is a period of being unhappy or uncomfortable about one’s life, could be spiritual, emotional, social, physical discomfort or otherwise.

Problem gets associated with both living and non-living things. Problem could be temptation, trials or difficulties which when not overcome leads to further stages, just like a sickness without treatment improve day by day.

Job was one of the many people who were faced with problem in their lives in the Bible. He was a righteous man and also very wealthy, he was tempted by the devil. He lost everything he had in the process; he was dead while he was alive. But amazingly, throughout his trials times he never did anything outside the will of God. Though there was pressure from his friends and surprisingly, from his dear wife!

So many people were faced with problem and could not overcome it. Instead, they wearied away and stumbled along the way. Job’s experience was a testimony among the people that encountered problem in the past. Whenever one is able to overcome problem at any point in time, that individual is automatically catapulted to the next level. It is as simple as climbing a ladder or walking on a staircase. Whenever you take a step, you move to the next height. This is amazing, because this is exactly what happened to us in the real sense. “Though He were a son, yet learned He obedience by the things which he suffered. Hebrews 5:8

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7

Indeed, many people who undergo trial some or traumatic experiences do become more patient and compassionate. But we should not conclude that their suffering was God’s doing. Such thinking does not take God’s love and wisdom into account. The Bible plainly states, “When under trial, let no one say, ‘I am being tried by God’, for with evil things God cannot be tried nor does He Himself try anyone”. On the contrary, “from God comes every good gift and every perfect present” James 1:13, 17.

The question here is, could there be any lasting solution to such predicaments? Yes, there is a solution that would put an end to all these and many more situations like these.

From where then does suffering and strife comes? Remember that God has oppose known as “the devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth” revelation 12:9. God placed Adam and Eve in a trouble free world. But Satan convinced Eve that she would be better off without God’s guidance and leadership. Genesis 3:1-5. Sadly, Eve believed Satan’s lies and disobeyed God. Adam joined her in this rebellion. The result? “Death spread to all men” says the Bible. Romans 5:12.

Rather than immediately dealing with this rebellion by destroying Satan and his cohorts, God saw decided to allow time to pass in order to allow Satan be exposed as a liar! It would also allow proof that independent from God brings nothing but ruin and shame.

Man’s religions are a maze of conflicting teachings. Morals have fallen to an all-time low. Human governments have tried every conceivable form of rule. They sign strategies and adopt laws, but the needs of the common people are still unfulfilled. Wars add misery on misery.

We clearly need God to intervene and bring all these to an end. But this will happen only in God’s own time. Until then, it is our duty to obey His laws and principles as found in the Bible.

When we are faced with suffering and hardship, we may find ourselves asking questions, “why me?” The Bible remines us however, that we are not alone in this.

When tragedy touches us personally, it is only human to feel frustration, loss or even anger. “Why did this have to happen?” One may ask. “Why me?” or “Why now?” such questions deserve satisfying answers. But to get the right answer, we must

go to the right source – God. Turrel once said, “People are sometimes hurting too much to think things through”.6 It may be unpleasant to contemplate, but death and suffering are facts of life. Job puts it well, when he said. “Man born of woman, is short-lived and glutted with agitation”. Job 14:1.

Before life gets better, we as human beings must go through a time of unprecedented wickedness. The Bible says; “Know this, in the last days; critical times hard to deal with will be here”. 2 Timothy 3:1. How long will these difficult times last? Jesus’ disciples asked more or less the same question. But Jesus did not give them a specific time when this misery-stricken system of things will end. Instead, Jesus said, “He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved”. Matthew 24:3, 13. Jesus’ words encourages us to take a long-range view. We must be prepared to endure many unpleasant situations before the end finally comes.

The Bible assures us that one day, we will be “set free from enslavement to corruption” and enjoy “the glorious freedom of the children of God”. People’s reaction towards problem will sometimes leads to unspeakable victory, because problem is like a stepping stone to victory. A person reacts to problem in different ways and in different perspective as will be seen below. God created human beings all in His likeness, but there are differences that exist in different persons and these differences includes; thoughts, level of understanding, height, skin color, etc. There is something that God bestowed in every individual that makes him or her different from others (unique). Since there are variation characteristics that exist in individuals, then people also react to problem differently. Everybody reacts to problem either in the right or wrong ways.7 The people who lived before us in the Bible have all reacted to problem thus; King David went against the will of God when he slept with the wife

of Uriah (one of his armies) and in trying to cover up his deeds, after deciding so many means which were not successful. Lastly, sent Uriah back to the battle field with a letter to the commander in chief, ordering him to take Uriah to the war front, where the battle was tensed, so he would be killed. And it so happened, Uriah died in the battle field. And afterwards, David the king took Uriah’s wife to be his wife! But when God decided to present Himself to the king, He sent Prophet Nathan, and Nathan told the king what He (God) want him to observe. 2 Samuel 11:1-27, 12:1-15. “I have sinned against the Lord”, he said. Nathan said …the Lord forgives you; you will not die.”

Judas Iscariot was Jesus’ disciple. He was tempted with money through his greediness and selfish acts. Judas sold out Jesus or rather, gave out Jesus to be crucified in return for money, and when he was given the money, he couldn’t do anything with it but to buy a piece of land in the cemetery. Where he was buried after he had hanged himself. 1 Timothy 6:10.

Look at the case of Job, Joseph in the Bible; look also at Martin Luther jnr. amidst the difficult situation, which was happening around them. Luther was able to look at something positive. He said “I have a dream…” He didn’t just stop there; he was positive about it. They all were positive about their dreams. If they did, why can’t you? Of course, you can. You can be a role model; someone people must look up to.

By Martin H Kamaidan

Saved by Grace