What is your default setting?

When something in your world goes haywire, to what do you default?  Sure, your computer has default settings, but do you?  In the last several days, I have been involved in relational settings—

--in which a beloved father passed away

--a much-loved younger brother was killed suddenly in a motorcycle accident,

--when the news about ‘just how much cancer’ was not so good,

--a dad came into town to visit his adult children, but showed up for each of two visits drunk—man, it hurt!  Besides, ‘it isn’t supposed to go like that . . .’ a 23-year-old young man should not die suddenly!  It is devastating!

If you don’t know God, your default setting might be quite varied—you try to make yourself feel better by getting drunk or high; you grab your shoes and go for a long, punishing run; you crawl in bed, pull the covers over your head, and go to sleep--but maybe after you have collapsed emotionally first.

When your computer has a failure, you might lose your personal settings and even valued material, but at least you still retain the basic framework that allows you to rebuild.

Friends, we need a default mode, especially as children of God—otherwise, we may go sideways when tragedy strikes—‘you know what I mean?  Christians need to maintain a basic framework from which they will not be shaken.  May I suggest your personal default mode be set something like this?

Because I am a child of God, I will choose to remember:

God loves me, and he is faithful.  His heart toward me is always GOOD.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.  Great is your faithfulness…The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3.22,23,25,26

read it again.

Whatever tragedy or trauma has occurred in your life has not caught God off guard.

How do I know that?  Because God never slumbers nor sleeps!  Psalm 121.4

To whom or what will you turn for direction and for comfort?      The choice is, of course, yours . . . you alone can choose your response.

Every time heartbreak enters your life, you have an opportunity to turn to God, for him to work

Therefore you will choose to remember that God’s heart toward you is good, that he loves you, and that you should maintain an attitude of praise toward him—as Job said,

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1.21

‘But I cannot do it,’ the daughter screams in her agony, ‘neither can I,’ the sister of the killed brother sobs . . . and so go the responses. 

Yes, Daughter—Yes, Sister—Yes, Wife—Yes, Son … you can!!  You can turn to God for help, and claim the truth that,

“I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength" Philippians 4:13 

And, then what? 

Turn to God for direction and wisdom

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; don’t just trust your own thinking. Proverbs 3.5

Ask God for wisdom, and he will give it to you.  Period.  Then, believe he has and is giving you the wisdom you require for next steps in your situation.

Is that all?  Of course not, but these compile a great framework for Christians to access.  One more thing—

Take one day at a time.

“Do not worry about tomorrow for it has cares enough of its own.” Matthew 6.34 

God will give you strength for today; his grace is sufficient.

‘Want to radically change your viewpoint?  Memorize these Scriptures, so you have them—then no one or no thing can take them from you.  Buy a ringed-3 X 5 card set, write out the verses on two succeeding cards; rip one out and carry with you until you’ve got it down, and leave the other, so you have an on-going file of life-giving words to which you may refer and increase.  Then, you have chosen your default setting for life.

Christine