Max Lucado mentions in Chapter 14 (“Keep Calm and Carry On”) of You’ll Get Through This that in the days immediately preceding war (World War II) with Germany, the British government commissioned a series of posters to be distributed around England. Encouraging slogans were printed on these posters. One poster, held in reserve for an extreme crisis such as a German invasion, never was released to the public. It read: KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.
Pastor Lucado states that calamities often leave us off-balance and confused. It may seem more natural to us to recite our woes rather than heaven’s strength. Yet Joseph began and ended his famine crisis assessment with references to God. To paraphrase Joseph’s response to our ministry downsizing or vocation loss: “God preceded our downsizing or vocation loss. God will outlive our downsizing or vocation loss. God is all over our downsizing or vocation loss.”
While we can’t undo our downsizing or vocation loss, we can map out a strategy. Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen studied leadership in turbulent times. They discovered that effective leaders exhibited “self-control in an out-of-control world.”
Max concluded that God’s sovereignty empowers our responsibility:
“Don’t let the crisis paralyze you. Don’t let the sadness overwhelm you. Don’t let the fear intimidate you. To do nothing is the wrong thing. To do something is the right thing. And to believe is the highest thing.”
Today’s question: During your healing, transformational journey, do you allow good or bad days to dictate your response, or are you making steady progress despite the circumstances? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Emotions- who’s in control?”
Special note: You’ll Get Through This will be added to the Annotated Bibliography on Monday.
