A Prepared Mindset Trusts in God

Do you find yourself feeling frustrated or angry, or thinking that life is unfair when unexpected and unwanted events occur in life? You are not alone. Most of us do. Which seems strange, as you would expect that with age and experience, would come the realisation that unexpected and unwanted events are going to occur in our lives.

Natural disasters, cancer, appliance failures, sick kids. We know all these things can occur, yet we seem surprised and upset when they do.

I have observed something interesting as a doctor that helps explain why this contradiction exists.

Before performing any surgery, I must obtain informed consent from my patient. This requires me to discuss all the possible material risks with the patient. A material risk includes potential outcomes such as nerve damage, scaring, or post-operative wound complications.

Most of the time, this conversation goes well without any issues. Occasionally, as I am explaining a material risk to a patient, I get an extraordinarily strong response such as “I don’t want that to happen!” I then empathize with my patient and explain that I do not want this to happen to them either, but it might, and they need to be aware of it. Sometimes, I am met with the same response “But I don’t want that to happen.” At this point I often refer the patient on to someone else.

The material risk associated with living is that we will have to battle through trials, tribulations, and suffering. Unexpected and unwanted events are going to happen, often when we least expect or desire them to occur.

No wants to experience cancer, near fatal car accidents, or a severe weather event that nearly destroys their home. I have experienced all three, and many more unwanted events in my life. Others have experienced far worse. The problem is that by simply living, such events, and far worse events are distinct possibilities.

I am not telling you anything you don’t already know. The problem is we all tend to respond to this truth the same way. “I don’t want that to happen to me.”

I know from experience that a patient who is aware of the material risks of a procedure and takes the time to prepare themselves for their potential occurrence, is often better prepared mentally in the unfortunate event that they do occur. The patients who are not aware of the risks, or did not prepare for their occurrence, are often the ones who are blindsided when they occur.

The key to navigating life’s challenging and unexpected situations is to have a prepared mindset.

When training a horse for battle, the most important aspect of its preparation is learning to trust the rider. A horse can be drilled to perform at peak performance for any number of risky situations, but when it encounters the unexpected and fails to trust its rider, the situation becomes disastrous for both. The horse will look at the situation and think “I don’t want that happen to me” and then throw its rider off its back and try and flee the battlefield.

As Christians, it is not enough to anticipate and prepare for unexpected and unwanted situations, we need to be prepared to trust in God throughout the situation. Otherwise, we risk fleeing God and the situation, leaving us fighting our battles alone.

After 40 days in a desert fasting, it was then that Satan came to tempt Jesus. Most of us, assuming we survived that long, would lose it mentally and emotionally long before then. Yet, Jesus was prepared and trusted that God was with Him. He knew the promises of God and was prepared to walk with God through whatever spiritual warfare came His way. One cannot help but think that Jesus looked at Satan and thought to Himself, “Of course you would come now at my weakest point to tempt me.”

Jesus is with us now through every trial, tribulation, moment of suffering and unwanted experience. He walks with us through it all, and when this life is over, He will be with us in Heaven for all eternity. A Chrisitan with a prepared mindset not only trusts in Jesus, but they also trust that He has already secured the victory.

When we encounter unexpected and unwanted situations it is important to remember that we have been through similar situations before with Jesus, we got through them with Him, and we will do so again because He has secured the victory. As we walk through each new experience with Him, we become better prepared for the next as our trust and faith grows.

Reflection

What areas of your life are bringing you fear and anxiety that you need to trust God with?

Prayer

Father God, help me to trust you more in the areas of my life where I experience fear and anxiety. Help me to trust that no matter what happens, you have prepared the way for me in advance, and you will walk with me through it.

Affirmation

God is my strength. He prepares and enables me to face anything that occurs in my life.

Action

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how God has prepared the way for you in the past and guided you through difficult situations. Give thanks to God for this and trust that He will guide you through difficult situations again.