When you go through difficulties (2)

Here are two more things Joseph understood that you need to understand as well: (1) You can’t afford to give in to self-pity. Perhaps you’re going through a trial right now and you’re an innocent party – the victim of a situation you didn’t cause. Consider Joseph’s reaction when he was in a similar position. The first thing he didn’t do was succumb to self-pity. Why? Because it’s a major contributor to depression. Often when we experience a serious problem and our self-esteem is already at its lowest ebb, we start blaming ourselves and putting ourselves down. Joseph didn’t do that. He understood that the crisis he was in wasn’t of his own making, and he tried to look at it realistically. When you’re in a storm and you allow your boat to turn sideways, the storm will capsize you. Similarly, when storms come into your life, the best way to overcome them is to trust God and face them head-on, like Joseph did. (2) Never make a major decision when you’re depressed. Many times when we’re discouraged, we’re tempted to say, “I’m going to quit” or “I’m going to switch jobs” or “I’m going to move away” or “I’m going to file for divorce.” Please don’t do that! When you’re downcast and despondent, your feelings are unreliable, your focus becomes blurred, and you lose your perspective when it comes to exercising good judgment. So what should you do? Trust God to bring you through it! Say with the psalmist, “In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can [flesh] do to me?”