(ThyBlackMan.com) I recently ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. After some small talk, I asked her how she had been doing. I genuinely wanted to know how she’d be holding up of late. Her faced turned sullen as she prepared to recount her life for the past few years. After listing all of the challenges she’d experienced, she looked at me, teary-eye and flush with frustration, and with a shaky voice she finished her narrative by saying, “Under the circumstances, I’m doing the best I can do.”
Those ten words she whispered immediately caught my attention, words that painted a picture of a young woman bearing up against the odds and giving her best effort. Of the ten words, though, just one really arrested me: Under.
There are certain places believers do not belong. I’m not speaking of external, physical places, but rather modes of thinking and being that may betray who we are and whose we are. One of the places a believer does not belong is under the circumstances. Here’s why.
Know that Your Faith is Bigger than the Enemies Fight
There are those who have been hurt in life and there are those who have been victimized by life. Identify with the former, never with the ladder. We are more than conquerors; we have the power to overcome whatever comes our way. The writer of Deuteronomy 20:1-4 urges his readers to know, When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
I love that scripture because it reminds me of two things. One, there are many instances in life in which I am vastly outnumbered but never outsized. Two, for every situation that seems I am in peril, there is an Egypt I have been liberated from. This makes me a victor!
Pick up your Invitation to the King’s Table
Now if there was any person in the Holy Bible who could claim to live ‘under’ the circumstances, it was young Mephibosheth, whose story is chronicled in II Samuel 9. Mephibosheth was the grandson of King Saul and the son of Jonathan, who both had been killed in battle. At a young age, Mephibosheth suffered a freak accident and was crippled as a result. He grew up in Lodebar, which is translated “a place of nothing”. He was crippled, had lost his heritage and suffered from low self-esteem.
But one day Mephibosheth received an invitation from the king. David had promised Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan, he’d look out for Jonathan’s kin. Mephibosheth appeared at the court of the king fearing for his life but was instead assured that he was the son of royalty and would be treated as such; the chronicler reports, Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table like one of the king’s sons.
Like Mephibosheth, you may have been dealt a harsh blow – as we all have! But here’s the key: no matter what’s happened in your past, you always have a place at the King’s table!
Do Not be Satisfied with ‘Going Through’
Train your eyes and your faith to see the end from the beginning. Think “I am more than a conqueror” One of the things my long-lost friend said to me was, “I’m going through”. Don’t be satisfied with just ‘going through’, make up in your mind to GROW through, to absorb the lessons and transmute them into blessings.
St. Paul writes in II Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
Know that when you are in an attitude of faith, every situation is an opportunity to grow in His grace. Every circumstance, every struggle, every step backward is always a triumph in moving forward and growing.
When we keep these principles in mind, we never live ‘under’ the circumstances of life.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitestrategiescoaching.com.