2 Kings 6:17 “And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
In order to survive a crisis and come out victoriously from it, making adjustments to our way of thinking is necessary. There is a need to refocus our lives in light of the situation we are facing. Few achieve this, as most people become filled with fear, anxiety and distress in the face of the uncertainty they experience. Such is the case as we face the current health crisis.
During this time, there is much fear but there is also anger. Sometimes, when we experience conflict with someone, we hold on to the thought that says, “I am right.” We become angry and we think things like, “They hurt me”, etc. Faced with this situation, some people withdraw and imprison themselves in their fear, many are paralyzed by fear or become physically sick, while others withdraw in their anger and can become bitter.
On the other hand, some people develop a false sense of security and think, “I’m fine!” This causes them to be reckless and to make ridiculous decisions. Such is the case with some immature, young people who break the health and safety regulations put in place by authorities and continue to do as they like without thinking of others. This selfishness does not allow them to think about being caring or supportive towards others and they continue with life as normal, with the mindset that says, “Nothing will happen to me.” However, these persons can be a danger to others or they simply do not assume their share of responsibility which is also wrong, especially when it comes to crisis in relationships, whether it be among family, friends, at work, etc.
So, what will cause us to emerge victoriously from a crisis? The Bible text in 2 Kings gives us ideas about changing our mindset:
- We must not avoid what is happening or what has happened. While we may not want to acknowledge the situation, it is real, and we need to face it – the sooner, the better.
- Acknowledge that we cannot solve the problem on our own. This is because we need to change our beliefs, ideas and our way of thinking, whether they are right or not, as they will always influence our actions. We can find this to be quite difficult, so we continue with step number 3.
- We must ask for help through prayer. In prayer, we give God our fears, anger, immaturity, problems and whatever situation we are going through.
- Pray a prayer of surrender and allow God to take control. Going beyond what we feel means denying self in order to accept what God wants. This causes our focus to change because it leads us to submit ourselves in obedience, surrendering our own personal rights. For this reason, let us refocus our way of seeing things to the way God wants us to see things.
If you follow these steps, you will be victorious in every crisis or situation of conflict. My prayer is that God would open your eyes so that you may see.
May God help you in all that you do today.
Dr. Miguel and Irene Garita, Family Care Ministry, Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica
