An Incredible Cure for See-Sickness

Years ago, I wrote an article in this newspaper entitled, It Is What It Is, or Is It? Sometimes things are not as they appear. We tend to think, "It is what it is, that's it, nothing's going to change, turn out the lights, the party's over, end of story." Then God says quietly, “Is it?” Let's explore some 'It Is What It Is, What It Is or Is It?' perspectives below.   

“We call it a scar, but God calls it a testimony. We call it a rejection, but God calls it a redirection. We call it pain, but God calls it pruning. We call it a mess, but God calls it a process. We call it a problem, but God calls it an opportunity. We call it religion, but God wants a relationship. We call it a coincidence, but God calls it a part of His plans. 

We call it a failure, but God calls it a valuable lesson. We call it the end, but God calls it the beginning. We call it unexpected, but God calls it His perfect timing. We call it helpless, but God treats it as His ideal time to move. We call it a mystery, but God calls it a part of His ways.”

Most likely, our thoughts are not God's thoughts, and our ways are not God's ways. Sometimes, we humans see things differently and incompletely. Even if you do not see what is happening to you or others, be assured God is behind the scenes working for God's Highest purposes and our best. If you can't see God's hand, trust in God's character. 

Instead of trusting your understanding, why not put your panic on hold, put your assessment on hold, sit back, and watch God be God? Say to yourself, “Humm, how is God going to redeem this mess, this crisis, this impossible situation; this will be interesting.” So often, God waits until the last minute, so we will know that God is ‘in it.’  

Don’t become ‘see-sick.’ Don’t allow your see-sickness to morph into seasickness. Just like seasickness, see-sickness happens between the ears. It’s the way you’re thinking about what you’re thinking about. Don't allow the wind and the waves on the outside of you to get inside of you. The Lord may not be there when you want, but God’s always right on time. Your present distress is for your future best. 

Let’s use the Apostle Paul in an impossible trial and torture situation in the Scriptures. It would have been easy for him to say, "It is what it is," and quit his ministry. But he didn't. He said, "It Is What It Is, or Is It?" Here is what Paul said to himself, the people with him, and us. 

“So, we're not giving up. How could we? Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There is far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.”

Essentially, Paul was saying things are not as they appear; they are much better. Paul viewed life from a higher plane, looking down at the situation, not from a lower plane, trying to look up at the situation.        

How do you do that? How can we, like Paul, keep our equilibrium in the worst of life’s storms? 

Follow me closely. This illustration could change your life. Picture a pyramid in your mind with four different levels ascending upward. The bottom of the pyramid is called, Your Experience. The second level above it is called Your Beliefs. The third level above Your Beliefs is called Your Decisions. And the top level is Your Harvest. Harvest is the outcome of our experiences, beliefs, and decisions. 

Let's say you are rejected by someone close to you or may have experienced bankruptcy or even a horrible divorce. That's your experience. It happened, and nothing can change it. However, your experience is not as important as what you believe about your experience. If you believe, ‘I am a victim, they caused me pain, I'm a loser, I will never recover, I'm mad at everyone, or it could never turn into anything good,' that is where you will stay. Why? Because you made a decision based on your beliefs about your experience. Then you get stuck with the dark rewards of a negative harvest, resulting in depression, anger, hatred, fear, reverse momentum, and the like.  

Let’s take this same experience but with a different belief. But now your beliefs about the horrible experience are Biblical beliefs such as 'all things work together for good for those who love God' or 'God will make a way, where there seems to be no way.' Or 'Hold on, deliverance is coming, nothing is impossible for God’ or ‘I was rejected, but I don’t need to be negatively affected' or 'Whether life or death, these hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times.’ Aha!

It’s not your experience that determines your harvest in life. Your belief about what happened to you and the decisions you make from your beliefs create the harvest you will reap. Hurt people hurt people. Why? They decided to stay hurt, creating an awkward harvest. 

Conversely, that same person with the same horrible experience believes "God can work all things together for good, even their horrible experience.” That belief can create a harvest of good.” It’s the same experience but different harvests because of their beliefs.

Do you remember the list of perspectives at the start of this article? Right now, choose which of the two contrasting beliefs you believe before and after the word ‘but’ in each sentence. Why? When Storms come, your beliefs decide your harvest. So right now, give your 'buts' to God.