I’ve put “mantra” in quotes because the earliest origins of this word, and definition #1, come from the world of Buddhism and Hinduism. That is not the version I’m going for here!
According to dictionary.com, definition #2 says this: “an often-repeated word, formula, or phrase, often a truism.” Let’s go with that one.
And even more specifically, I’m looking at what we might cling to as trials, that feel larger than life, hit us when we least expect it. What words of comfort do you turn to when you’ve run out of your own ideas and your own efforts?
Let me take you back to the year 2013. Nothing of note from a “news-worthy” standpoint, but it was a turning point for me on my spiritual journey.
Dale and I moved into Urbandale that Spring after a great 27-year run out in the boonies. We both loved it and would have stayed there forever had circumstances been different. But sadly, Dale’s dementia and failing physical health dictated a smaller home with a city-size lot – not 7 ½ acres with a pond. So we packed up and became citified folks.
Within four days of our move, Dale contracted an extremely painful case of shingles. He had multiple surgeries on his inner ear, eventually leading to a full closing off of his ear canal. Of course, this wasn’t two well-timed surgeries that went without a hitch. Oh no, they came complete with multiple late-night runs to the ER as a special bonus.
Before the shingles could completely heal, Dale was hit with a mysterious gastrointestinal (GI) bleed that had doctors in Des Moines, Iowa City and even Mayo a bit stumped. Once again, not a well-timed-out series of planned appointments. No, this challenge included a late-night helicopter ride to the University of Iowa Hospitals with me trying to keep up with it going down Interstate 80 a tad over the speed limit.
We never got a final answer to this puzzling bleed. The Mayo doctors sent us home with instructions to call them when he bled again, because he WOULD bleed again, and they would send the helicopter down for us. By God’s grace, that shoe never fell.
Added to these two major health issues was the death of an elderly aunt I had just moved one month before our move. More challenges, more responsibilities as I was her executor.
You all know that my dogs are my kids so one of the most heartbreaking events was the tragic death of one of my Boston Terriers.
Add a few select relationship issues on top of all that and you have a decent picture of our 2013. Horrible for Dale who had to suffer through so much pain and so many medical procedures. For me it was the relentless nature of one emergency followed by another and another, and the ultimate responsibility for them all.
Why do I tell you all of this? Not to garner any sympathy from you. You likely have had years equally or more horrific than ours. I tell you this because of the simple spiritual “mantra” that got me through it.
I didn’t plan it. I didn’t search the scriptures for the perfect text to get me through all of this. I hadn’t heard it somewhere and decided it fit these circumstances.
Nope. As I sat on our bed, or in my car, or anywhere that Dale wouldn’t see my tears, the words that came pouring from my heart and my mind were this:
“God, I hate this. But I trust you.”
Little did I know that this phrase would become one of the pillars of a grief ministry years away. Acknowledge the heartache. Know God will walk with you through it.
So, that became my mantra throughout 2013, and I continue to fall back on it whenever I’m struggling through any kind of trial.
We don’t have to love our life challenges. Sure, we are to “count it all joy,” but that doesn’t refer to the trial itself. It points us to what God will do in our lives through the trial.
Back to the title question. What do you rely upon when troubles find you?
While mine was certainly not planned, I think there is merit in thinking through these questions: what qualities of God, what promises has he made, what ways has he “proven” himself to you, that give you a stronghold upon which you can rely. A spiritual “mantra,” if you will.
You’re welcome to use mine, if you like. It’s been well-tested!
But I’d recommend you find whatever resonates deep in your soul, whatever grounds you, whatever you believe about God without a doubt. That’s where you land when life throws you a slew of curveballs.
Here are just a few that might start you thinking about your own:
- God is sovereign over everything in my life.
- God loves me with an everlasting love.
- God walks with me through this valley.
- God will never leave me or forsake me.
- God is growing me through this season.
- God’s strength is what will get me through this.
All of this instruction reminds me of what a former pastor often said to his church. “Get your theology in place during the good times, because you’re going to need it during the hard times.” So true. Because if you can’t completely buy into any of those suggestion, or find any scripture that you trust, it might be time to reexamine just what you do believe about God.
Enlist a trusted pastor or friend to help you through this, if necessary. Don’t put off this critical spiritual work.
I can tell you from experience that having something I could hang my weary hat on when most of my brain wasn’t working, was invaluable during those hard days. It can serve you well, too.
In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 18:6
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