Pray to Make the Best of It amid Fallenness
That’s what God did
Make the best of it.
That’s often all we can do.
We’re familiar with the beginning of the Serenity Prayer about the limits of our control but we may not be so aware of how it goes on: “…taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it…”
When we’re up against a loss that is permanent and life altering, how do we proceed? When a child dies, when cancer takes away bodily function, when accidents disable, when a spouse leaves.
It sounds flippant to say, “Make the best of it.”
And yet, God, Himself, in Jesus, made the best of what we gave Him.
He took our rebellion and triumphed over it in a magnificent display of his creativity and compassion in the cross and resurrection.
How do we endure the consequences of fallenness and sinfulness and make the best of it? From the smallest everyday decisions to the largest impacts? How do we invite Jesus to help?
An enormous topic. For today, a couple of thoughts:
Why should I have to? That’s anger, and an appropriate emotion for a while.
But be careful because anger gives way to resentment and then bitterness unless we find a way to release it to God.
Daily prayers matter.
“Lord, I did not want this divorce. But I trust that you are still in charge and still have good plans for me. Maybe I won’t see clearly until eternity. In the meantime, I want to trust you with all my heart.”
“Lord, cancer has taken so much. And yet, he’s still alive. Thank you for the smiles. Thank you for touch. Thank you for a future with you in a new body.”
“Lord, I will always grieve what could have been with my daughter. I need to trust You. Give me grace to live a life that honors You, in spite of this enormous loss.
The possible applications are as individual as we are.
To make the best of what’s left to us in this woebegone world is to accept the world as it is, not as we would have it, as Jesus did.
1https://www.beliefnet.com/prayers/protestant/addiction/serenity-prayer.aspx
Thank you.
Thanks for the reminder, Karen. Looking at life and troubles like this brings so much more peace. There is very little in life we can control, but God is with us to help us and bring some good out of the situation in this life or supremely in the next.