Living Victoriously Amidst Adversities

Live for Today, Not Someday Amidst Unpleasant Realities

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. “

Psalm 16:11 NIV

A truly beautiful woman is a real woman who lives for the present. She does not live for someday, but she lives for today. She accepts the present realities of her life, no matter how painful they are. She maybe undergoing unfavorable circumstances in the present, but she faces them squarely and accepts the truth that behind these seemingly hard times there is still a divine purpose since she put her trust in God’s perfect wisdom. She is firmly resolved that God allows such crises in her life for a good reason. Her life is established in the truth of God’s Word. She has contentment and peace in her present life amidst unfavorable circumstances.

How many among Christians today are living for someday and not for today? They keep on saying that someday when they have that dream job, they will feel more secure or someday when they meet the right person, they will be happier. Many people live their entire lives getting ready for that big event that neither come nor passes them by while they are waiting for it. Too many people are enduring instead of enjoying their lives. God wants you to be fully and totally alive starting today not someday. We have to live for the present; not for the future, that may never come. We have to enjoy the challenges of the present time. We are also to be reminded that today is the first day of the rest of our lives as said in one of the famous songs. We have to focus on the things we have in the present, not on those things we still do not have.

There is one remarkable woman in The Old Testament times during the time of the prophet Elisha. She was the Shunammite woman who showed kindness to the prophet Elisha. This woman did Elisha a favor when she offered a room in her house for ElishaThe woman was married but she was still childless. Although with this unpleasant reality of her married life, she was living in contentment. The prophet Elisha pronounced to her that she would have a son. She received the gift of a son, but several years later, this son died. The woman faced boldly this sad reality, she was not disheartened by this truth, her faith was firm that her son would be brought back to life with the help of the prophet.

The Shunammite woman is an exemplary model of a woman who can be content and peaceful despite the present adversities in life. Her life indeed is a demonstration of firm faith, strength, and fortitude. She is indeed beautiful.

(Bible Text: 2 Kings 4:8-37)

Tintin lost both of her parents in a span of seventeen months. Three months after her mother’s death, her house burned down to the ground. With these present adversities, it is very difficult for her to live with these realities. But she has learned to live with these present situations and managed to make necessary adjustments. For Tintin who is still single in her fifties, it is such a predicament to live with these unpleasant realities. But she holds on to the truth and promises of God’s Word. She claims Christ’s promise to His faithful disciples "I will be with you always till the end of the age." This farewell verse from the Master lives in her heart and encourages her to cope well in the present amidst adversities.

Lian, a single woman in her fifties is not daunted by the present circumstance that she still has no lifetime partner at this point in time. Instead of grumbling and magnifying this concern, she turns this seemingly unfavorable circumstance into an asset. She makes the most out of the single life. She engages herself in a meaningful endeavor that is beneficial to her fellow single professionals. Lian, with several single professionals, explore short-term mission activities that minister to the needs of some underprivileged folks from the rural areas and other developing Asian countries. Her single life has become a great blessing to many. She does not dwell on the negative aspect of being single. She was able to conquer the stigma of being single. She has shown that her life can be meaningful and happy in spite of being single.

Live in contentment amidst predicament, find your comfort and strength in God’s presence.

“Jesus suffered so that we will never have to experience separation from the love of God. His companionship makes anything we endure more bearable.”

-Amy Peterson (Our Daily Bread, vol. 25)-