When the going gets tough....

Doesn't take an alpha male to finish this common saying. It's a mantra that
would dangerously suggest that we, as humans, just have to hunker down, face
things head-on and then we will be more likely to succeed.

Jesus promised those who would choose to follow Him that there would be
troubles. In the first century, this often meant persecution for those who would
declare Him in the face of those who wished to eliminate Christians. In our
world today, persecution of Christians, does, in fact, still occur, but for most of
us that live in twenty-first century America, these tough times are more apt to
include the same types of troubles that all Americans can face: financial
setbacks, marital troubles, problems with employment.. the list goes on. Just
as God lets the sun shine on both the righteous and the unrighteous, all lives 
are often beset with times of troubles.

A lot of my personal struggles, and there were some, occurred when I did not
know Jesus on a personal basis. I struggled and even called upon God to help.
Eventually, haphazardly, things got better. Was God involved with me, an
unrepentant sinner as these issues got better? I have to believe that He was both
aware and involved. He, after all, has reached out to one so very undeserving
and has brought grace into my life.

In search of the Omega male. 

Leaning on our own human devices to persevere through problems is, at best,
a poor and painful choice. We need our Father to be with us, guiding us, bringing
us to a result that is in keeping with His plan, not our own. Believing in ourselves
at the price of being unaware of His Grace and Love brings confusion, disillusionment
and pain. Does this mean that there will be no problems or that they will all end
in ways we see as positive, be no means. Dealing on our own terms, without His
grace, means to be alone with a capital A.

He has called us to come to Him, lean on Him, lean on His Holy word and His
loving kindness. When the going gets tough, God gets going. We need to pray, 
glorify His name and depend on the creator of the universe. Praise God!