3 Ways To Stay Up In A Down World
Even if you are like our family and have dropped television, there is no way one can guard oneself against the overwhelming daily influx of bad news.
But don’t let it get you down, this is our time to shine — shine like stars on the black night (Phil. 2:15).
The gloom-and-doom of our times is overwhelming enough. But when you’re much more anchored to bigger things than the economy, not only can you maintain perspective, you can stand out in a way that really glorifies the Lord.
Here are three ways to keep perspective:
1. Remember your true identity.
We are priests of the Lord. (Isaiah 61:6) Citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). Our true life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 2). That’s big stuff, if you ask me.
We function in the temporal, but we do so from an eternal perspective. The things that relate to both our being and are having are not dependent upon Washington or Wall Street, thing such as our undeserved adoption into God’s family, access to God, purpose in life, treasures in Heaven, and more.
Consider the words of Charles Spurgeon from Faith’s Check Book, February 25:
“This being our one aim, we may leave distracting concerns to those who have no higher calling. ‘Let the dead bury their dead.’ It is written, ‘Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers.’ They may manage politics, puzzle out financial problems, discuss science, and settle the last new quibbles of criticism; but we will give ourselves unto such service as becomes those who, like the Lord Jesus, are ordained to a perpetual priesthood. Accepting this honorable promise as involving a sacred duty, let us put on the vestments of holiness and minister before the Lord all day long.”
2. Remember what matters most.
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Sometimes in the midst of hearing the lightening crack around me, I just stop, look down and say “Wow! Two good legs, two good hands and two good eyes to see them! You can’t beat that!”
Simple blessings that matter most still surround us: family, health, food and shelter. I know that there are exceptions — even you may be facing challenges in one of these areas – but this is generally the case. What matters most is still nearby in full HD.
The apostle Paul said, “if we have food and clothing and a fat IRA, let’s be content with that.” Nope. He said, “having food and clothing, we’ll be content with that.”
Paul was not killing godly ambition, mind you, but what he’s saying is: if you have these basics, there’s no room for discontentment. Beyond even those things, Paul tells us that there is no heavenly blessing that we don’t own! (Ephesians 1:3)
Turn off the news and talk radio for a while and go indulge today the things that matter most.
- Look into the eyes of a loved one.
- Talk to God.
- Spend some time in Scripture or listening to music.
- Go for a walk and just look around.
They can’t tax that.
3. Get to work.
Constant bad news starts to feel like a constant drizzle on a campfire. Sooner or later you’ll lose your spark. There’s a tendency to just want to lay down.
But instead of giving up, get to work.
Whatever we do, we first do “as unto the Lord.” Not, “so we can retire” or “so we can pay for college” or whatever, though those do bear some purpose.
But “as unto the Lord” flies at the highest altitude of motivation. And “as unto the Lord” is not contingent upon the economy nor the state government.
Activities such as:
- reaching people for Christ
- advancing God’s Kingdom agenda in your sphere of influence
- leaving the world a better place
- functioning as salt and light
- fulfilling our individual roles under God’s husband and mother, brother, church member or citizen.
And there’s plenty of good work to do in all those areas.
The best combatant against the bad news is to create good news. If all you do is listen to the problems you’ll become one.
Be a part of the solution. The New Deal didn’t end the Great Depression, America got to work.
And the thing about doing good work is, even if the world goes into the tank, you can sleep with your conscience intact… and your self-esteem.
Go shake it off to the glory of God. You’re on the best side of this mess.
