“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34 ESV).
We ought to be fearful of answering a knock on our door because often standing behind it is either opportunity or trouble. These uninvited visitors demand our consideration and will redirect our efforts and resources from what had, just moments before, been “important work.”
Opportunity and trouble, it seems, occupy two sides of the same coin.
Business leadership that is “distinctively Christian” in its attitude and focus is not immune from knocks on the door. Yesterday, trouble knocked on my business’s door, bringing all the “troublesome” elements of anxiety—threat of monetary losses, absorption of time previously expected to be expended on brighter projects, friendship injured, trust called into question, confusion, anger, and a sense of helplessness.
A Christian’s attitude about life does not eliminate the buffets of trouble nor keep us from experiencing normal emotions. Our Christian attitude, however, can give us perspective and peace—promises of our Savior.
What will result from trouble’s call on my business is unclear, but here are seven positive “truths” about trouble that will shape my response and dampen my anxiety about outcomes:
- Trouble is always a “test” (defined as something that determines the value or nature of something). Tests help us discover what God knows about us—undiscovered insights about our character and faith, and possibly the presence of idols or strongholds in our life.
- Trouble is a warning; its urgency may surprise us, but we must heed its call.
- Trouble has always and will always strengthen us.
- Trouble often is judgment on our actions. Judgment is not pleasant but is as integral to the knowledge of right and wrong as sweetness is to sugar.
- Trouble always has one outcome: it transforms us into a closer likeness of Jesus.
- Trouble calls our attention to God, revealing Him and teaching us to both trust and fear Him.
- Trouble brings glory to God. Always.
It is this last point that gives me the most encouragement. Glory comes to God in the midst of troubles because our errors point to His righteousness; His judgment on our wrong actions point to His Holiness; when He restrains judgment it points to His mercy, compassion, patience, and grace; and when trouble causes us to repent of our behaviors, we are given Jesus.
Trouble reveals the glory of God. The song, I Can Only Imagine (Mercy Me), describes being surrounded by the glory of God:
“Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine.”
Surrounded by God’s glory, trouble becomes invisible and “we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37).