It is a great thing to be able to handle the worst that life brings on us. I see people do this and am amazed at how they get through it, bounce back and return to a sense of normalcy. I am not only talking about those life and death events, I am talking about those instances where everything seemed normal and on track and then in the blink of an eye, a job is lost, a deal falters, a relationship gets destroyed, a financial decision backfires, a market dissipates, a colleague fails, we fail, we fall or we just make a mistake that can’t be fixed. What we know is that all of what we expect to be there tomorrow for us is terribly fragile and temporal. We expect it all to last forever but we know that it doesn’t really. I got a note from a friend who used to work for me a long time ago. He was asked to “early retire” last week from the company that he had worked for for over 25 years. While he never expected it to happen to him, it did. He now has to bounce back and start anew and do so with the attitude and energy that can get him reemployed. What started out like any other work day, ended with decades of his work life being radically changed. The same can happen or has happened to all of us. All of the above and worse can happen. But, it is not just enough to endure. While that is great and in itself creates an awesome example for others to see and follow, we are called on to be more in control. Paul says this to us, “In everything we do try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.” Paul calls on us to patiently endure. What I hear is that we are to find a place within ourselves where we can wait on what God has in store before we react. We are to be patient with what is happening to us. This is a great challenge and a great call to action. If we can find that we can wait on God in the worst of times, then we will have Him with us in all times. It may be that you are facing your own calamity or test of endurance. See if you can’t reverse the order and find your patience in waiting on Him first and then let Him be there with you for the enduring long run.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 6:4 (New Living Testament)