LEMON OR OINTMENT
Nowadays, it seems as if there is bad news everywhere and all we hear about is calamity.
There are hurricanes, changes in the immigration laws and war threats, the atmosphere has become negative and fear and anguish is spreading.
Sickness, problems with people’s son and daughters or hardships in the family have also caused a storm within homes. However, it’s up to you to react with a character that will be like a lemon or an ointment before anenvironment of hopelessness.
If you live by sight, not only will you be intimidated before the problems and the bad news, but just as it feels to have someonesqueeze a lemon on a wound, your influence will also cause people to feel fear and panic provoking them to react in the following way: “The world is going to end, the economy is falling, the country is in crisis! My marriage is coming to an end, I have lost everything, I will never be happy again!”.
Nevertheless, if you live by faith you will be an ointment that heals every burning wound, therefore, the people who surround you will feel secure and remain hopeful just as God says in His Word.
It is not about shielding your eyes before the reality and ignoring the changes that are happening in the world or in your family. It is about reacting with character and living by faith trusting in the verse Jeremiah 29:11 where God says He has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
It is about showing those who surround us, our family being first, that we must keep calm, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV).
If the world says everything is terrible, that the laws are not in your favor that the problems in your family are irreparable, practice reacting with a character that is likean ointment instead of a lemon.
When you react by faith and not by sight, you will be able to give hope to others. When you are asked how you keep calm in the middle of a whirlwind, you will be able to share the gospel of peace and forgiveness with others. This is how God will use you to help others live by faith just as you do.
Think about it:
How are you reacting to people’s daily comments about bad news these days?
What has your attitude provoked in other people, peace or panic and fear?
