As Christians, we must deal with the ups and downs of life yet maintain a witness that will lead others to Christ.  How do we do this when life throws us an unexpected sinker, slider, or curve ball that was never anticipated?

My wife was routinely having a checkup to measure the amount of calcium in her arteries prior to taking a recommended regiment of Lipitor for high cholesterol.  During this evaluation, they discovered 5 blockages in the arteries feeding her heart resulting in a triple by-pass surgery on Valentine’s Day of 2022.  To complicate this ordeal, she suffered a stroke during the operation that limited her field of vision to 50% of normal. 

Needless to say, the winter and spring of 2022 has been more tumultuous for our family than COVID produced.  The question still remains, how do we as Christians cope with the issues of life and still maintain our witness?

The Bible teaches us that God’s yoke is easy and His burden light, Matthew 11: 29-30; ^“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  We also read that nothing has ever befallen believers that we cannot bear, I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”  He promises that He will not leave nor forsake us, Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  We must never give up nor grow weary in the events of life, holding on to these verses that encourage us.  John 9: 1-3, “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” This reminds us that many of the issues of life are given so that God may be glorified.  My wife’s testimony following this ordeal is simple yet profound-- “Why should I not have scars, Jesus does for me!”  Through her devotions during these last 4 months of recovery, she holds tight to Psalms 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Hm.”

Although life may bring unexpected events, we must hold fast to the reality that God is still on the throne, orchestrating our future, protecting His children.  We may experience new “norms” in life following life-altering events, but life will continue both here on earth and in eternity.  How we respond to these life-altering events is what matters, “May God get the glory.”