You Got This
I was preparing my child for first grade. If I have learned nothing else from being a parent this past six years it is that evil has no age minimum. There are some nasty-acting children out there, starting at preschool age. Suffice it to say, at the ripe old age of six, she has had her share of bullies, big and small, male and female, so I try to prepare her for life in advance.
“You are an incredibly beautiful, tall thickems,” I tell her.
“What is a thickems?” she asked, laughing.
“A thickems is someone with a body,” I answered. “The day you were born, you had thick little thighs. You are on your way to what some would call a brick house...more on that later, but my point is that is how God made you, beautifully and wonderfully. You are different from other kids your age, but never be ashamed of how God designed you. You already know from experience that kids can be mean; some might try to hurt you and call you big and tall.”
“I am big and tall,” she interrupted. I could not help but smile. If only I had been as confident at her age—at my age. We have this inside joke where we say, "It's hard to eat right!" There is a funny voice and facial expression that go along with it—don't ask.
“OK,” I said, “but what if someone calls you chubby?”
“Well,” she said, “It's hard to eat right!” I fell out of my chair laughing. She used the voice and everything.
“I think you got this!” I managed to say after I composed myself. “I think you got this.”
It goes against human nature to believe what God says. Look at the first two people in the world, Adam and Eve. God gave them everything. They lived in paradise. God was faithful, honest, true, generous, loving, kind, friendly, and attentive. He took a walk with them every day and spent quality time with His best friends. What more could anyone ask for?
One thing that has always bothered me is that Eve was not alone when the serpent approached her; Adam was there. Adam was standing right there the entire time. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6). What kind of man allows a snake to talk to his woman? Forget the temptation part for a minute; what kind of man lets a snake approach his woman even to get that far? So, Adam lets Eve entertain the serpent in conversation, fine, but what kind of friend is Adam to stand there and listen to, and allow his wife to listen to, this serpent lie on his best friend, God?
“’You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman” (Genesis 3:4). That was a lie, and Adam knew it. He should have cut the enemy off right there, but instead, they both kept listening. Instead of standing up for God and speaking the truth of His Word, Adam and Eve believed the first lie ever told. The first chance they got to doubt Almighty God, their Creator, their best friend, they took it and ran with it.
Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, suffered, bled, and died on the cross, placed there because of our sin (Isaiah 53:5). The only perfect person to ever live, and we crucified Him.
So, no, being a good person does not guarantee that bad things will not happen to you because being a good God does not guarantee that bad things will not happen. Being a good God does not guarantee that your Own creation will not betray You, even crucify You. Lucifer, the fallen angels, Adam, Eve, me, you, we have all, at some point, mistreated God.
1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
When you live for the LORD, you are a target for the enemy and his imps, and you will constantly be attacked. Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” The good news is that we are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37). We have access to God's promises through His Word, we can encourage ourselves, and we can be wrapped in the protection that only His Word can offer. Go to God's Word, read it daily, hide it in your heart.
I want my daughter to be ready, not just for first grade but for life. Her life will be full of the joy of the LORD, but it will not be without the attacks of the enemy. She has to know what is coming. She has to be prepared. We have to be prepared. Let God's Word prepare you and your children.
Bad stuff happened to God, bad stuff happened to Jesus, bad stuff is going to happen to you. The question is: How are you going to deal with it? You got this or naw?
