When You Are Always Expecting the Worst

I saw a television show recently where one of the characters remarked that because things were going so well in his life, he anticipated something bad to happen any minute. He told his friends that that "universe always balances things out." I laughed to myself as I watched the show, thinking what a ridiculous idea that was.

But not too long later, I found myself thinking something similar. I was thinking about how God had answered my twenty-year prayer to move as well as made my dream to write a book a reality. Two blessings had occurred in my life and my first thought was, "I wonder what trial lies around the corner?"

While not the exact same thinking as the character on the television show, it was similar nonetheless. I assumed that God needed to round out the blessings in my life with something hard. As though there is a limit to how many blessings he gives. As though there is a formula to how he works in my life. As though he is an impersonal God who gives out blessings and trials for no other reason than to keep the scales balanced.

To be truthful, I am an Eeyore by nature. I tend to see the dark side of things and expect the worst. I see the glass as half empty rather than half full. And so it comes as no surprise that I would barely take the time to enjoy the gifts I've been given before I pessimistically anticipate a storm brewing in the distance. 

But I don't like living life that way. It sucks the joy right out of me. Not only that, but the thoughts I had were wrong and I needed to confront them. I had to remind myself the truth of who God is. I had to remember that everything God gives is out of the overflow of his grace whether it is an answer to prayer, a hard day, a dream come true, or a difficult trial. In each and every moment of my life God is working to transform me into the image of his Son. In both the blessings and in the trials, he is refining me and preparing me for eternity. There is a redemptive purpose behind every circumstance I encounter in life; all things are for my good and his glory.

I also needed to confess those thoughts to the Lord. I asked for his forgiveness for viewing him as an impersonal God who merely works to even out the blessings in my life rather than the God who gave up every blessing in heaven to take on human flesh and live in this fallen world so that he could endure the worst suffering on my behalf. And by his blood shed for me, give me the greatest blessing of all--eternity with him. 

Perhaps you also tend to see the dark side things. Maybe it is hard for you to enjoy the sweet sunshine today because you fear a storm will come tomorrow. In those moments, we must remember who our God is and how he works. We must recite this truth over and over until it becomes the song of our heart, 

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:31-39).

Truth for the Weary Soul

When the storms of life wreak havoc on all you know and love, what theological truths anchor your soul? What doctrines do you turn to when the world around you seems to give way under your feet? What truths about God bring you the most comfort when life is uncertain and nothing makes any sense?

Though all of God’s word is essential for us to read, learn, memorize, and study, and though all of God’s word teaches us all that we need to know to weather the storms of life, there is one theological truth that stands out in times of trial and suffering. There is one doctrine that brings everything into perspective and provides comfort and rest for our weary souls.

The sovereignty of God...

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Set Your Mind on Christ

Have you ever sat with a group of friends and found yourself talking about a strange topic and wondered how you got there? My oldest son is fascinated by the rabbit trails that conversations take. He enjoys unwinding the twisted and jumbled strands to discover how one topic leads to the next. Whenever I facilitate groups, I have to be on alert for such meandering trails because it’s easy for people to get off topic and the longer we wander, the harder it is to find our way back.

Prone to Wander

This happens in our personal thought life as well. We follow such trails in our minds, going down winding paths, circuitous routes, and through dark passages. We start off with one thought and like a distracted child; we follow it wherever it takes us.

Consider the last time you were wronged in some way. You might have thought about how unfair it was and how you didn’t deserve such treatment. This made you think of other times you’ve been wronged. Perhaps you compared how you were treated to how others are treated. Your thoughts continue to spread and twist until before you know it, you are boiling in anger.

The same happens when we face a hardship or trial. We begin to think about how hard it is and how we don’t have the strength to endure it. We think of all the potential things that could go wrong. We worry and fret about the future. We follow those thoughts into dark places until we are paralyzed with fear and overcome with despair.

We come by such wandering thoughts naturally. As children of Adam, in our sin nature, we are drawn to meandering thought trails of half-truths, lies, and sinful thoughts.

Sometimes we don’t even realize the influence our thoughts have on us nor do we realize how much our thoughts matter. The truth is, our thoughts hold great power over us emotionally, spiritually, and behaviorally. The things we dwell and ruminate on are like the rudder of a ship; they steer and guide our emotions and affections. Like the invasive southern Kudzu vine, our wandering thoughts can grow and spread, wrapping itself around our hearts until it suffocates and chokes our joy. Over time, our thoughts can spill out into our actions. As Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34).

Be Alert and on Guard

As believers, what we think matters. Because Jesus bought and redeemed us from sin, we are new creations. We have died to our former selves (Romans 6:6). This includes our thought life. When we think untrue and sinful thoughts, we are not living like the new creations that we are.  “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds…But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17, 20-24).

Because we are new creations in Christ, Scripture charges us to be on guard in our thinking. The Apostle Paul wrote that he took every thought captive and made it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). This is strong military language. We need to be aggressive and forceful, intentionally searching out disobedient thoughts. That’s because we are in the midst of a spiritual battle and in wartime, we cannot be passive (see Ephesians 6).

This also means we need to be intentional in the kinds of thoughts we think. We must conform our thoughts so that they obey and glorify Christ. As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Thoughts like these are ones that we want to foster, take root, and grow.

John Piper points out in his book, A Godward Life: Seeing the Supremacy of God in All of Life that the Bible speaks of an intentional approach to our thinking, that of "set your mind":

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). “Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh” (Romans 8:5). “Our emotions are governed in large measure by what we “consider”—what we dwell on with our minds. For example, Jesus told us to overcome the emotion of anxiety by what we consider. “Do not be anxious … Consider the ravens … Consider the lilies” (Luke 12:22, 24, 27, RSV). The mind is the window of the heart. If we let our minds constantly dwell on the dark, the heart will feel dark. If we open the window of our mind to the light, the heart will feel the light … Above all, this great capacity of our minds to focus and consider is meant for considering Jesus: “Holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus … Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 3:1, 12:3) … It is when we focus our minds on the glory of Christ that we are transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).” (p.229)

The true and right thoughts we are to think are found in God’s word. There he tells us who he is and what he has done for us in Christ. We need to dwell on such truths, on God’s love for us in the gospel and what Christ accomplished for us through his life, death, and resurrection. We need to meditate on who we are in the sight of God because of Christ and what it means to be a child of the living God. We need to think these thoughts, not as part of some spiritual to-do list, or as an exercise to greater self-fulfillment, but because of who we are in Christ (Colossians 3:1-2).

Though we are prone to wander, especially in our thinking, Jesus has not left us alone. He has given us his Spirit who convicts us of sin, reminds us of truth, and even prays on our behalf when we can’t do so for ourselves.  If you struggle with wayward thoughts as I do, pray for the Spirit to prompt you when your thoughts go astray. Ask for discernment to know what is true and what is untrue. Assess your thoughts and compare them with God’s word. Be alert, watchful, and on guard. And above all, set your mind on Christ. 

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