Trusting God's Timing

by Joel Osteen

Human nature tends to want everything right now. We're always in a hurry. Most of us get impatient when we miss a turn on a revolving door! When we pray for our dreams to come to pass, we want them to be fulfilled immediately. But we have to understand, God has an ap­pointed time to answer our prayers and to bring our dreams to pass. And the truth is, no matter how badly we want it sooner, no matter how much we pray and plead with God, it's not going to change His appointed time. It's still going to happen on God's timetable.

Because we sometimes don't understand God's timing, we live upset and frustrated, wondering when God is going to do something. "God, when are You going to change my husband? When are You going to bring me a mate? God, when is my business going to take off? When are my dreams going to come to pass?"

When you understand God's timing, however, you won't live all stressed out. You can relax knowing that God is in control, and at the perfect time He is going to make it happen. The Scripture says, "The vision is for an appointed time. Though it tarry, wait earnestly for it, for it will come to pass." Notice, it's called an "appointed time." It may be next week, next year, or ten years from now. But whenever it is, you can rest assured that it will be in God's perfect timing.

I would love to tell you that if you prayed hard enough, and if you had enough faith, your prayers would always be answered within twenty-four hours. But that's simply not true. God is not like an ATM machine, where you punch in the right codes and receive what you requested (assuming you've even made a deposit!). No, we all have to wait patiently. That's a part of learning to trust God. The key is, how are we going to wait? What will be our physical, emotional, and spir­itual demeanor? Are we going to wait with a good attitude and ex­pectancy, knowing that God has great things in store? Or are we going to be upset, frustrated, and muttering complaints? God, You never answer my prayers. When is my situation ever going to change?

Consider this: If you know you have to wait anyway, why not make a decision to enjoy your life while you're waiting? Why not be happy while God is in the process of changing things? After all, there's nothing we can really do to make it happen any faster. We might as well relax and enjoy our lives, knowing that at the appointed time God is going to bring His plan to pass.

See, you don't have to struggle. You don't have to go around always wondering why God is, or is not, doing something. No, when you are trusting God, you can be at peace knowing that at the right time, God will keep His promise. It's going to happen, and the good news is, it's not going to be one second late. Imagine how much pressure that can take off you!

If you are unmarried and are believing for a mate, you don't have to worry. You don't have to beg God incessantly. You don't have to pray every fifteen minutes reminding God to send your mate. No, you can relax, knowing that at exactly the right time, God is going to bring the perfect person into your life, and he or she will not be one second late.

By the same token, if you are believing for your family members to de­velop a relationship with God, you don't have to quote Scripture to them at every family function as though you were firing a spiritual machine gun. You don't have to shove the Bible down their throats. You don't have to be upset because they won't come to church with you as much as you would like. You can relax and live your life in front of your loved ones, speaking naturally about your relationship with God and knowing that at the appointed time, God is going to speak to your family members.

Maybe you have some areas in your own life in which you need to improve, areas in which you need to change, and you've been extremely hard on yourself because you're not growing as fast as you would like. Lighten up and allow God to change you in His own timing. We all want to change overnight, but the Bible tells us that God changes us little by little. You can quit struggling, stop worrying about it, and sim­ply do your best to love God and live for Him, love others, and let God change you in His own way and in His own timing.

Do you see how liberating it can be when you understand the con­cept of God's timing? When you are truly living by faith, you can relax in what the Bible calls the "rest" of God. That's a place where you're not worried, you're not struggling, you're not trying to figure every­thing out, wondering why something is or isn't happening. The rest of God is a place of total trust. When you're in God's rest, you know that at the perfect time, God is going to perform everything He promised; He will bring it into being.

Why isn't God working in my life? You may be wondering. I've been praying, believing, and waiting, but it seems God is not doing anything about my marriage. That difficult situation at work hasn't changed. None of my dreams is coming to pass.

Understand, God is at work in your life whether you can see any­thing happening externally or not. In fact, one could almost make a case that God often works the most when we see it and feel it the least. You may not see any progress. Your situation may look the same as it did three months or even three years ago, but you must trust that deep inside your life, God is at work.

Beyond that, behind the scenes, He's putting all the pieces together. He's getting everything lined up, and one day, at the appointed time, you will see the culmination of everything that God has been doing. Suddenly, your situation will change for the better.

In Due Season

David had a big dream for his life. He had a desire to make a differ­ence, but as a young man he spent many years as a shepherd, caring for his father's sheep. I'm sure there were plenty of times when he was tempted to think that God had forgotten him. He must have thought, God, what am I doing out here? There's no future in this place. I want to do something big for You. When are You going to change this situ­ation? But David understood God's timing. He knew that if he would be faithful in obscurity, God would promote him at the right time. He knew God would bring his dreams to pass in due season. He said, "God, I'm trusting You. My times are in Your hands." He was saying, in effect, "God. I know You are in control. Although I don't see any­thing happening, You are working behind the scenes, and at the right time, You're going to change this situation."

You know the story God brought David out of those fields, he defeated Goliath, and eventually he was made king of Israel.

Perhaps you have a big dream in your heart, a dream to have a bet­ter marriage, a dream to own your own business, a dream to help hurt­ing people, but like David, you don't really see any human way your dream could happen.

I have good news for you! God isn't limited to natural, human ways of doing things. If you will trust God and keep a good attitude, stay­ing faithful right where you are and not getting in a hurry and trying to force things to happen, God will promote you at the right time, in your due season. He will bring your dreams to pass.

If you're not seeing God move in your life right now, one of two possibilities must be considered. Either your requests are not God's best and will probably not be answered the way you'd like, or it must not be the right time. If God were to answer that prayer the way you are hoping, it could interfere with His ideal plan for you.

God Sees the Big Picture

Today, our television program is aired on networks across the United States and in numerous countries around the world. That has been a dream come true for me. I loved broadcasting my dad's ministry all over the world. But toward the end of my dad's life, he didn't want to do too much of that anymore. He just wanted to relax and serve the church.

At one point I had arranged for a large number of radio stations to carry our weekly broadcast. I said, "Daddy, if you'll come down to the studio for maybe an hour a week, we can make all these radio programs."

To my dismay, Daddy responded, "Joel, I don't want to do that. I'm seventy-five years old, and I'm not looking for anything else to do."

I was so disappointed. I thought, God, I'm young, and I have all these dreams to touch the world; I have lots of energy; I don't want to do less. I want to do more!

But something deep within me kept saying, Be patient. It's not the right time.

I made a decision that I would keep a good attitude and honor my dad. I didn't get in a hurry. I didn't get frustrated and start struggling and trying to make things happen in my own strength or in my own timing. No, I simply remained faithful and kept doing the best I could.

At the time, it didn't seem that God was doing anything with Daddy's dream or mine to broadcast messages of hope all over the world. But a few years later, when my dad went to be with the Lord, it all became clear to me. I never dreamed that I would be the pastor. I never dreamed that I would be the guy in front of the camera one day. But now I realize that God put those dreams in my heart for my own life, for my own ministry, not just Daddy's. Had I not been patient and stayed in God's perfect timing, I don't believe I'd be where I am today.

We don't always understand God's methods. His ways don't always make sense to us, but we have to realize that God sees the big picture. Consider this possibility: You may be ready for what God has for you, but somebody else who is going to be involved is not ready yet. God has to do a work in another person or another situation before your prayer can be answered according to God's will for your life. All the pieces have to come together for it to be God's perfect time.

But never fear; God is getting everything lined up in your life. You may not feel it; you may not see it. Your situation may look just as it did for the past ten years, but then one day, in a split second of time, God will bring it all together. When it is God's timing, all the forces of dark­ness can't stop Him. When it's that appointed time, no man can keep it from happening. When it's your due season, God will bring it to pass.

Suddenly, things will change. Suddenly, that business will take off. Suddenly, your husband will desire a relationship with God. Suddenly, that wayward child will come home. Suddenly, God will bring your hopes and dreams to pass.

Shelby was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties who genuinely desired to be married. She had prayed and prayed but had never even had a serious relationship with a man. In fact, she told me that she hadn't been out on a date within the last two or three years. She was tempted to be discouraged, assuming that nothing was happening, and that she might spend the remainder of her life as a single woman.

But one day she was driving home from work when she had a flat tire and had to pull her car over to the side of the freeway. A few sec­onds later, another car pulled over behind her, and out stepped a handsome young man. He not only changed Shelby's tire, he invited her out to dinner. About a year later they got married, and today they are won­derfully happy and in love.

Now, think about the odds of such an occurrence. That certainly was not an accident or a coincidence. That was God at work in the lives of two young adults. Think about the timing involved in their meeting. Her tire had to go bad at just the right time. There had to be just the right amount of traffic on the freeway. Had there been too many cars, he would have been late; too few cars, he would have been early. That young man had to catch just the right elevator leaving the office. He had to get stopped by just the right amount of traffic lights. All the timing had to go down to the split second in order for his car to be shortly behind Shelby's when her tire went flat.

Don't ever think that God is not at work in your life. He's making things happen even when you don't realize it. Just stay in an attitude of faith and learn to trust His timing.

When I was in my early twenties, I had an experience similar to Shelby's. I had never really dated much during high school or college. I was a sports nut, and I was busy playing baseball four or five nights a week. I really didn't have any time for a social life. But I eventually tired of hanging out with all those old ugly guys, and I decided I was going to find somebody a little better looking.

I prayed that God would lead me to the right person. I said, "Father, I know You have somebody already picked out for me, so I'm trusting You to bring us together at the right time."

Two or three years went by and nothing much happened, but I didn't get in a hurry or try to force things. I didn't get upset and say, "God, why aren't You doing anything?" No, I just did my best to stay in the rest of God. I said, "Father, I know You are in control and even though I don't see anything happening, I know You are working be­hind the scenes on my behalf."

One day I noticed that my watch had stopped. My friend Johnny and I were going up to the gym to work out, so I decided to stop at a jewelry store along the way to get a new watch battery I went into the store and met the most beautiful girl I had ever seen! I thought, God, You have just answered my prayers!

We struck up a conversation, and I discovered that she was a good Christian girl. I thought, That's great, because if you weren't a Chris­tian, you were about to become one!

She not only sold me a battery for my watch, she sold me a whole new watch! And she's been spending my money ever since.

But think of all the factors that had to fall into place for me to meet Victoria. My watch battery had to stop. I had to have a reason to go to a jewelry store, not simply a Wal-Mart or a convenience store. Then I had to stop at the particular store where Victoria was working. Keep in mind, there are hundreds of fine jewelry stores in Houston. Then she had to be working that specific shift. She could have been off that day. Somebody else could have waited on me. But all these pieces came together perfectly, because God was in control.

To live your best life now, you must learn to trust God's timing. You may not think He's working, but you can be sure that right now, be­hind the scenes, God is arranging all the pieces to come together to work out His plan for your life.

You may be experiencing some difficult times, and perhaps your cir­cumstances have seemed static and immobile for quite a while. You may not be able to fathom how your situation can ever move forward. But you need to know that God had the answer to your prayer even be­fore you had the need. God has been arranging things in your favor long before you ever encountered the problem.

A pastor of a large church in America unfortunately got off track and made some very poor decisions, resulting in his resignation. His family fell apart, and he left the ministry. It was a very sad situation. By all outward appearances, he had a bleak future. Several years went by, and the pastor was trying to get his life back together. He still had a heart to serve people, so he decided to travel to South America to as­sist some missionaries there. While he was in Brazil, he visited a little church. When he met the pastor, something very strange happened. The Brazilian pastor looked shocked and then began to weep. The pastor clasped the American's hands and began to pray in Portuguese.

As the pastor prayed for him, the American felt an unusual presence enveloping him, almost like a warm glow purging him of his hurt and pain. He said, "For the first time in several years, I felt that I was able to let go of the past. I felt totally free and totally restored."

When the prayer ended, the American asked his interpreter, "Who is this man? And why was he praying for me like that?"

Through the interpreter, the Brazilian pastor said, "Twenty years ago, I was praying and suddenly your face came into my mind. And God said to me, " One day you will help bring healing and restoration to this man." Today is that day, and you are that man."

Now here's the truly amazing aspect of this story: Twenty years prior to that event, the American was not even a Christian, much less a pastor. He wasn't even serving God. But God knows the end of the story before the first word is written. Twenty years earlier, He had placed a vision in one man's heart that involved another person, then for two decades, God designed events in both of their lives to bring them together on that platform in that little church in Brazil, so one man could see the fulfillment of his dream, and another man could be reassured of God's love and forgiveness.

In the same way, God already has the answer to your prayers before you have the need. He has already been arranging things in your favor. And who knows, maybe five or ten years ago, God spoke to somebody about the situation you're going through right now, and He is shaping events to bring your paths together. You can't fake that sort of thing. You'd be foolish to try to manipulate such events. No, God is in con­trol. You may not think anything is happening, but remember, God often works the most when we see it and feel it the least. Learn to trust His timing. Don't get in a hurry; don't grow impatient; don't try to force doors to open. Don't try to make things happen in your own strength. Let God do it His way

I remember a number of times when my dad tried to start construction on a new sanctuary for Lakewood Church. The congregation had grown too large for our facility, so several times over a five-year period, Daddy had architects draw up some preliminary plans for a new building. But just as he was about to break ground, Daddy would sense a caution from God. He didn't feel right about pressing ahead. He didn't have a peace in his heart about the matter, so he'd put it all on hold.

At that time, my dad was in his early sixties, and a number of younger ministers across the country were building large sanctuaries. Daddy felt pressured to build before it was too late. He'd get all fired up about start­ing the new project. Two or three times, he announced to the congrega­tion, "This fall, we're going to break ground for our new sanctuary!"

Fall rolled around, and Daddy would get up in front of the church and say, "I've changed my mind. It's not the right time. I don't feel a peace about it." See, Daddy was smart enough to know that he needed to stay in God's perfect timing. And the congregation possessed enough confidence in him to patiently abide by Daddy's convictions.

The sad truth is, if you push hard enough, and if you're so stubborn that you must have things your way, God will sometimes allow you to undertake a project without His blessing or at the wrong time. The problem with that, of course, is when you start something in your own strength and in your own timing, you're going to have to finish it and maintain it in your own strength. When you let God start something, He'll finish it for you. He'll provide everything you need.

When we try to force open doors and make things happen in our own strength, the end result is a constant strain on us and a drain on our resources. Life becomes a constant struggle. Nearly all joy, peace, and victory dwindle from your existence. That is not a place of con­tentment and satisfaction.

If you are in an area like that today, you need to do your best to get out of it. I'm not suggesting that you break up your marriage relation­ship or renege on business contracts. That would only exacerbate the problem. But if you are doing things that are not hearing any fruit, and they are giving you a perpetual headache, there's a good chance that God didn't initiate that endeavor or relationship. Or perhaps it is part of God's plan for your life, but you are out of His timing, and you are proceeding under your own power according to your own timetable.

Be careful! If God isn't in what you are doing, you need to make a change. Here is where many people miss God's favor: They know God has spoken to them; He has placed a dream within their hearts. But they then set about trying to fulfill God's plan on their own. We must be aware that if we get out of God's timing, it's the same as getting out of God's will. We need to be patient and let God bring His plan together at the appointed time.

That is not to say that we should sit back passively and expect God to do everything. No, we have to aggressively pursue our dreams. But if a door is not opening, don't try to make things happen in your own strength.

My dad was a big enough person to get up and tell the congrega­tion, "I missed it. I thought this was the time we were supposed to begin building, but it is not. It's just not the right time."

Amazingly, when God finally did lead Daddy to start construction, it was during what seemed to be the worst possible time. It was two weeks before Christmas, and Daddy had just gotten out of the hospi­tal following open-heart surgery. Added to that, the economy in Hous­ton was at an all-time low. The city was in one of the worst recessions that we had ever seen. More than twelve thousand businesses had gone bankrupt during the previous year. By all logical business standards, beginning a new building, one paid for by donations looked as though it was going to be a major mistake. Cynics and friends alike told my dad, "You'd better not start right now. You're never going to raise the money. That building's going to sit there unfinished."

Daddy thanked them for their opinions, but when it's God's timing, it doesn't matter what the surrounding circumstances look like. It doesn't matter what people are telling you. If God says it's time, then He will bring it to pass.

Daddy initiated the building program, and in less than one year's time, the congregation gave enough money that the building was built debt-free! Had Daddy tried to do that in his own strength, in his own timing, even if the economy would have been red hot, it still would have been a constant struggle.

Understand, when you get out of God's timing, you are stepping out of His favor. When you step out of His favor, you are operating on your own in the dark. I'm not saying that when we do something for God, we're not going to have adversity. But fighting the good fight of faith outside God's timing can leave you constantly struggling, never having anything go your way, never having any joy. On the other hand, when you're in God's timing, you can be in the midst of the biggest challenge of your life, and you'll still be filled with joy God will give you all the grace you need. If you will learn to trust His timing, He's promised that at the right time, He will bring your dreams to pass and answer your prayers. The answer will come, and it will be right on time.

Letting Go of Emotional Wounds

by Joel Osteen

We live in a society that loves to make excuses, and one of our favorite phrases is: "It's not my fault."

"Joel, I'm a negative person because I was raised in an unhealthy family environment," one man told me.


"My husband walked out on me. I've been rejected. That's why I'm always so depressed," said a woman in her early forties.
"I've lost my wife, and I just don't understand it. That's why I'm so angry, said another young man."

No, the truth is, if we are bitter and resentful, it's because we are allowing ourselves to remain that way. We've all had negative things happen to us. If you look hard enough, you can easily find reasons to have a chip on your shoulder. Anyone can make excuses and blame the past for his or her bad attitudes, poor choices, or hot temper.

You may have valid reasons for feeling the way you do. You may have gone through things that nobody deserves to experience in life. Perhaps you were physically, verbally, sexually, or emotionally abused. Maybe you've struggled to deal with a chronic illness or some other ir­reparable physical problem. Perhaps somebody took advantage of you in business and you lost your shirt, as well as your self-esteem. I don't mean to minimize those sad experiences, but if you want to live in vic­tory, you cannot use past emotional wounds as an excuse for making poor choices today. You dare not use your past as an excuse for your current bad attitude, or as a rationalization for your unwillingness to forgive somebody. The fourth step toward living your best life now is to let go of the past.

It's time to allow emotional wounds to heal, to let go of your ex­cuses and stop feeling sorry for yourself. It's time to get rid of your vic­tim mentality. Nobody, not even God, ever promised that life would he fair. Quit comparing your life to somebody else's, and quit dwelling on what could have been, should have been, or might have been. Quit ask­ing questions such as, "Why this?" or "Why that?" or "Why me?"

Instead, take what God has given you and make the most of it. You may have suffered much, endured great hardships, or been through a lot of negative things. You may have deep scars from emotional wounds, but don't let your past determine your future. You can't do anything about what's happened to you, but you can choose how you will face what's in front of you. Don't hold on to feelings of bitterness and resentment and let them poison your future. Let go of those hurts and pains. Forgive the people who did you wrong. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made.

You may even need to forgive God. Perhaps you've been blaming Him for taking one of your loved ones. Maybe you are angry at God because He didn't answer your prayers, or some situation didn't work out the way you had hoped. Regardless, you will never be truly happy as long as you harbor bitterness in your heart. You will wallow in self-­pity, always feeling sorry for yourself, thinking that life hasn't dealt you a fair hand. You must let go of those negative attitudes and the ac­companying anger. Change the channel and start focusing on the goodness of God.

CHANGE THE CHANNEL

We all know how to use the remote control to change the chan­nels on the TV. If we see something we don't like, no big deal! we just flip channels. We need to learn how to mentally change channels when negative images of the past pop up in our minds unexpectedly. Unfortunately, when some people see those negative experiences on their minds, screens, instead of quickly changing channels, they pull up a chair and get some popcorn, as though they're going to watch a good movie. They willingly allow themselves to relive all those hurts and pains. Then they wonder why they are depressed, upset, or discouraged.

Learn to change the channel. Don't let your mind or your emo­tions drag you down into despair. Instead, dwell on the good things God has done in your life.

You probably know some people who thrive on self-pity. They relish the attention that it brings them. They've lived that way for so long, self­-pity has become part of their identity. He or she is known as the person that went through some great struggle, some horrible experience, the person who had something really awful happen to him or her. Certainly, when someone undergoes a traumatic experience, that person should be treated with compassion and care for as long as it takes to regain health and strength and get back on his feet. But the truth is, some people don't really want to get well. They like the attention too much.

Fifteen years ago, Phil and Judy's only son was killed in a freak ac­cident at work. It was one of those senseless, unexplainable accidents for which there are no words of comfort. Family and friends hovered over the couple for several months, empathizing with them in their grief and attempting to nurture them back to a degree of normalcy.

Regardless of their comforters, sensitive efforts, Phil and Judy re­fused to let go of their grief. Whenever their son's name was men­tioned, their eyes welled with tears and their woeful mourning began all over again. Slowly but surely, the comforters quit coming. People stopped calling. Family members avoided visiting. Anytime an encourager bravely attempted to lift the couple's spir­its, their efforts were met with sullen faces and a barrage of insults.

"You just don't know what it is like to lose your only son," Phil objected.

"No, but God does," somebody would tell them.

But Phil and Judy remained untouched. In their minds, nobody had ever felt pain the way they had. No consolation seemed adequate to their needs. They were forever to be known as the couple who tragi­cally lost their son. Consequently, fifteen years after the fact, Phil and Judy continue to languish in self-pity and self-induced isolation. Why? Because they don't want to get well.

If you've had something painful happen to you, don't let that expe­rience be the focal point of your life. Stop talking about it; stop bring­ing it up to your friends. You must get beyond it. Unless you let go of the old, God will not bring the new, it is natural to feel sorrow and to grieve, but you shouldn't still be grieving five or ten years later. If you really want to be whole, if you really want to get well, you need to move on with your life.

Too often we keep reliving the painful memories of the past, negat­ing God's desire to bring healing. Just as we are about to heal, we start talking about our painful experience again. We bring it up to our friends. We start reliving it, seeing it in our imagination. All of a sud­den, we can feel those same emotions all over again, as though we were tearing open the old wound. It will never properly heal until we learn to leave it alone. Remember, your emotions follow your thoughts. When you dwell on painful experiences in your past, your emotions go right back there with you, and you feel the pain in the present. You can relive something in your mind and feel it today just as vividly as when it happened twenty years ago.

One day a few years after my father had passed away in 1999, I was over at my parents' home, and I was all alone in the house. I hadn't been there by myself in quite some time, and as I was walking through the den, for no apparent reason I started thinking about the night that my dad died. Daddy had a heart attack right there in that same room. In my imagination, I could see it all happening. I could see Daddy on the floor. I could see the paramedics working on him. I could see the look on my dad's face and I began to feel those same emotions of de­spair, sadness, and discouragement that I had known the night Daddy died.

For about fifteen or twenty seconds I stood there paralyzed, over­whelmed by my emotions. Finally, I caught myself, and thought, What am I doing? Where is my mind going? Where are these emotions tak­ing me?

I had to make a decision that I was not going to allow myself to re­live that night. I knew that it wasn't going to do me any good. It would only get me upset and discouraged. Rather than dwelling on the hurt from the past, I had to purposely start recalling all the good times that my dad and I had known in that den. I smiled as I remembered how we used to watch the TV show Wheel of Fortune together in that room. Daddy could always guess the puzzle long before the contestants. In my mind, I could see Daddy playing with our children in that den. He loved having children around, and they loved being with him.

I recalled how sometimes I'd walk in the den and Daddy would be in his favorite chair. He'd look up and say, "Joel, tell me all you know. It'll just take a second." Daddy thought he was real funny. And he was. He had a great sense of humor. As I stood in that den, I had to willfully refuse to allow my mind to go back to painful memories of Daddy's death, and instead recall joy­ful moments from Daddy's life. But notice, it didn't happen naturally; it was a decision I had to make.

You must do something similar regarding the painful experiences from your past. Refuse to go back there emotionally; refuse to dredge up negative emotional memories. They will do you no good; in fact, strongly felt negative emotions can hold the potential to severely stifle your progress.

Think of it like this: Every person has two main files in his or her memory system. The first is a file filled with all the good things that have happened to us. It's full of our victories and accomplishments, all of the things that have brought us joy and happiness through the years.
The second file is just the opposite. It's filled with the hurts and pains of the past, all of the negative things that have happened to us. It's full of our defeats and failures, things that brought us sadness and sorrow. Throughout life, we can choose which file we will access. Some people repeatedly return to file number two and relive the painful things that have happened to them. They're always thinking about the times somebody did them wrong, the times they were hurt or suffered awful pain. They practically wear out file number two. They're so pre­occupied with the negative things, they never get around to exploring file number one. They hardly think about the good things that have happened to them.

If you want to be free, if you want to overcome self-pity, throw away the key to file number two. Don't go back there anymore. Keep your mind focused on the good things God has done in your life. DON'T GO THERE

An old joke says, "If you break your arm in three places, don't go to those places anymore." There may be more truth in that corny line than we realize. When the pains of the past beckon your attention, don't go back there. Instead, remind yourself, No thanks, I'm going to think on things that are of good report, things that are going to build me up, not tear me down, things that encourage me and fill me with peace and hap­piness, not things that attempt to steal my hope and drain my spirit. Get Up and Get Moving In the Bible, we read about a man in Jerusalem who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. He spent every day of his life lying on a mat by the pool of Bethesda, hoping for a miracle. This man had a deep-seated, lingering disorder.

I think many people today have lingering disorders. Their maladies may not be physical; they may be emotional, but they are deep-seated. lingering disorders nonetheless. They could stem from being unwilling to forgive, holding on to past resentments, blaming the past for their behavior, or other emotional wounds. These lingering disorders can affect your personality, your relationships, and your self-image, just as the man lying by the pool, some people sit back year after year, wait­ing for a miracle to happen, waiting for some big event to come along to make everything better.

One day Jesus saw the man lying there in need. It was obvious that he was crippled, but Jesus asked the man what seemed a strange ques­tion: "Do you want to be made well?"

I believe God is asking a similar question of us today: "Do you want to be well or do you want to continue lying around feeling sorry for yourself?"

Jesus asked a simple, straightforward question, but the man's re­sponse was interesting. He began listing all of his excuses. "I'm all alone. I don't have anyone to help me. Other people have let me down. Other people always seem to get ahead of me. I don't have a chance in life."

Is it any wonder that he remained in that condition for thirty eight years

I love the way Jesus answered him. He didn't even respond to his sad story. He didn't say, "Yes, friend, I agree with you. You've had a tough time. Let Me commiserate with you."

No, Jesus looked at him and said, in effect, "If you are serious about getting well, if you are serious about getting your life in order, if you really want to get out of this mess, here's what you must do: Get up off the ground, take up your bed, and be on your way." When the man did what Jesus told him to do, he was miraculously healed!

That's a message for us today. If you're serious about being well, if you really want to be made physically and emotionally whole, you must get up and get moving with your life. No more lying around feeling sorry for yourself. You must stop going back to file number two all the time. Stop making excuses; stop blaming people or circumstances that disappointed you. Instead, start forgiving the people that hurt you.

Today can be a turning point in your life, a time of new beginnings. Don't waste another minute trying to figure out why certain evil things have happened to you or your loved ones. Refuse to live with a victim mentality any longer.

You might be saying, "I just don't understand why this is happen­ing to me. I don't understand why I got sick. Why did my loved one die? Why did my marriage break apart? Why was I raised in such an abusive environment?" You may never know the answer. But don't use that as an excuse to wallow in self-pity. Leave it alone, get up, and move on with your life. Many of the "why" questions of life will remain a conundrum, but trust in God, and accept the fact that there will be some unanswered ques­tions. Keep in mind, just because you don't know the answer doesn't mean that one does not exist. You simply haven't discovered it yet.

Usually, we can deal with a situation if we can locate a file in our thinking in which to put it. "He got into trouble because he was run­ning with the wrong crowd"

But what happens when things don't make sense? When a good per­son is stricken with a serious illness? Or a child is born with a birth injury? Or a husband or wife walks out of a marriage? What happens when life doesn't fit neatly into our categories?

Each of us should have what I call an "I Don't Understand It" file. When something comes up for which you have no reasonable answer, instead of dwelling on it and trying to figure it out, simply place it in your I Don't Understand It file.

In the meantime, you must muster enough faith to say, "God, I don't understand it, but I trust You. And I'm not going to spend all my time trying to figure out why certain things have happened. I'm going to trust You to make something good out of it. You're a good God, and I know You have my best interests at heart. You promised that all things will work together for my good."

That is faith, and that is the attitude God honors.

My mother had polio when she was growing up. She had to wear a heavy brace on her leg for many years, and even today, one leg remains shorter than the other. Mother could have easily said, "God, this isn't fair. Why did this happen to me?"

But instead, she took up her bed and got moving with her life. In 1981 when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she didn't collapse and say, "Poor me. I should have known it. I had polio; now I've got cancer. I always get the short end of the stick."

Mother didn't do that. She dug in her heels and fought the good fight of faith. She didn't go around complaining. She went around speaking words of faith and victory. She refused to see herself as the victim. She saw herself as the victor. And God brought her out of that difficulty. Your adversities can make you bitter or they can make you better. They can drag you down and make you a sour person, or they can inspire you to reach for new heights.

My dad could have said, "God, why did You let me be born into this impoverished family? We don't have a chance."

But he didn't use that as an excuse to stay in defeat or to feel sorry for himself. No, he got up and got moving with his life. When he began preaching at the age of seventeen he didn't have a church, so he preached on the streets, in the nursing homes, in prisons and jails, any­where he could. He didn't have a car, so he walked or hitchhiked wher­ever he went. He could have easily withdrawn and said, "God, we've been through too much in life already. Please don't ask me to do any more. We're just poor, pitiful people."

But no, Daddy picked up his bed and got going, and you need to do the same thing. Your past does not have to determine your future. We can all sit back and make excuses to stay in mediocrity. That's easy. We can all sit back and make excuses to have a bad attitude, to have a poor self-image. Anyone can do that. But if we want to live in victory, we need to shake off self-pity and move on with our lives.

That's just what my sister Lisa had to do. She went through a very painful breakup in her marriage. It wasn't fair; she was mistreated and wronged. Yet for seven years, Lisa prayed and believed that her mar­riage could be restored. She did everything she knew how to do. But for some reason, it just didn't work out.

Lisa could easily have become bitter. She could have become de­pressed and said, "God, this is not fair. Why did this happen to me?"

But Lisa made a decision that she just wasn't going to sit around by the pool for thirty-eight years feeling sorry for herself. She wasn't going to stay in that black hole of depression. She decided it was time to get moving in her life. She didn't get bitter; she got better. She rose up out of those ashes. She said, "God, I don't understand it, but I'm going to trust You anyway. You know my heart. You know I've done everything I can do. I'm releasing it into Your hands."

Not long after she made that decision, God brought someone else into her life, and she and my brother-in-law, Kevin, have been happily married for many years.

Please understand, I'm not telling you to give up on your marriage. You must do what God is leading you to do. The point I want you to see is that sometimes we go through things we just don't understand. Through it all, we must learn to keep a good attitude and trust that God is still in control of our lives, even when events are not going the way we had planned or hoped.
In the Bible we find an interesting account of when King David's baby was dreadfully sick, near death. David was extremely distraught; he prayed night and day, believing that God could heal his child. He wouldn't eat or drink; he didn't shave or shower. He didn't attend to any business. He wouldn't do anything but pray, crying out to God.

Despite David's passionate prayers, on the seventh day the child died. David's servants worried how they were going to tell the king that his baby was dead. They thought he would be so devastated, so dis­traught that he couldn't handle it. But when David finally figured out what had happened, he surprised them all. He got up off the floor. He washed his face and put on some fresh clothes. Then he asked his ser­vants to bring him some food, and he sat down and ate a meal.

His servants were flabbergasted. They said, "David, when your child was alive, you fasted and prayed. But now that he's gone, you act as though nothing's wrong.

David answered, "Yes, I fasted and prayed when my son was sick, thinking that God might heal him. But now that he is gone, I cannot bring him back. He will not return to me, but I will go to be with him." Notice David's attitude. He didn't get bitter. He didn't question God. He could have snarled, "God, I thought You loved me. Why didn't You answer my prayers.

David didn't do that. He dared to trust God in the midst of his dis­appointment. He washed his face and moved on with his life.

Friend, you and I have to learn to do the same thing. People may have mistreated you. Somebody may have walked out on you, or maybe you prayed fervently, yet God didn't answer your prayer the way you had anticipated. That's over and done. You cannot change the past; there's nothing you can do about it now. But you must make a decision. Are you going to sit around by the pool for thirty eight years, or are you going to get up and get moving with your life? Are you going to keep going back to file number two, reliving all those painful memo­ries, or are you going to stay in an attitude of faith? God is asking, "Do you really want to get well?"

If you do, you must walk out of any emotional bondage in which you have been living. Nobody can do it for you. You must rise up out of those ashes. You must forgive the people who have hurt you. You have to release all those hurts and pains. Leave the past behind. When you go through situations you don't understand, don't become bitter. Don't question God. Learn to do as David did: just wash your face, keep a good attitude, and move on. Get ready for the new things God has in store for you.

If you will stay in an attitude of faith and victory, God has prom­ised that He will turn those emotional wounds around. He'll use them to your advantage, and you will come out better than you would have had they not happened to you.