Feb 22, 2013
Rise (above) and shine
by Elianna Chroniger
A good friend of mine was diagnosed with brain cancer on November 22, 2010. After that initial shock and following battle, he was thought to be in remission.
Since then my favorite Bible verse stuck itself deep into my everyday thought. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Every time I glanced at a crying classmate I could hear the verse run through my head. Every time I looked at my friend’s empty seat in class, the words from God stood out.
When I was recently called into my guidance counselor’s office I recited those familiar words in my mind. I walked in and braced myself for what I was about to hear. Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming words: “There’s a second tumor” and “There isn’t anything they can do.”
My heart leapt up to my throat and my breathing caught. I tried to decipher what was being said. My mind was spinning in so many different directions.
Honestly, at that moment when God should have been number one on my mind, He was nowhere close. It was a moment of weakness where I know God could have helped me. I cried.
As soon as I realized I had left God out of my sadness I stopped what I was doing and prayed. I asked Him to help me. I prayed that I could take my favorite verse seriously and live by it.
Since that moment, every time I hear that verse run through my head, I stop what I’m doing and evaluate how I’m living. I look at where I am when I hear the words, “I can do ALL things” and I realize that all means all. Anything that I’m having a problem with, I can overcome with the help of Christ. It may not be overcome in the timeframe that I have in mind, but it will be overcome eventually.
God places people and sayings and things in your path to help you overcome your struggles. There are friends who say the right things or do the right things when you need them, a family that can act just plain silly, and even random people who greet you with a wide, bright-eyed smile or a chipper “hello.” All these things may be seen as coincidences, or as things just falling into place. If you think that, then maybe it’s time that you reexamine your viewpoint.
Maybe try looking at it from the perspective of an inexperienced young teenager. Look at these things as being signs from God!
Check out your Bible and find a verse that sums up the encouraging words you want to hear in a sad situation. Memorize that verse. Use it when you’re overwhelmed. Remember it when you’re thrilled with life. Look to God when you’re happy, sad, angry, confused, and any other emotion you feel.
If my viewpoint is too different or too simple spice it up a little. I challenge you to think of one thing you can do to change your outlook on life. Implement it. Make it yours, and then pass on this challenge to others!
I used my verse to change how I live and how I view tragedy. Satan can try to win you over, but if you use the Word of the Lord he won’t succeed. Be the person who wakes up in the morning, plants your feet on the floor, and makes the Devil shudder with fear. Make yourself shine for Christ every day!!
