Tough Situations

Ever get into those sticky situations and find yourself just not sure how to handle it?

Life is full of them.  One tough situation after another.  As a parent, as a minister, a husband, coach ... you name it - those tough situations always arise.  Why?  because we deal with people, people who make mistakes, people who are self-absorbed, and basically because we're still learning... me too!
The minute we think we have all the answers for all the situations, I promise you'll find yourself in one without the answer.

So how are we to handle these situations...

I love reading the Old Testament, great stories, great heroes, great faith revealed, and great lessons learned and lost and learned again.  The OT really shows the humaness of the heroes of the faith.  I love reading and just wondering.... how in the world would I have handled a situation like that ... because I'm pretty sure I'll never have to face those exact situations!

But what we glean from them, helps we walk through the situations I find myself in.

Daniel 2 - one verse just lept off the page as I came across it.  Here's the scene  - the king has had a terrible dream and doesn't understand it... who does?  they seem so far off.  Does God still speak through dreams and visions?  Why not!  but that's for another day...

The king torn apart by this dream calls all the peeps of the time that are supposed to be able to help him understand the mysteries of this world and asks them to interpret his dream.  Probably not an uncommon request.  And their reply, also not uncommon - OK.... tell us the dream!
Sounds like a reasonable comeback, I mean it happened in your head not mine... so tell me the dream. But the king refuses - knowing they could just make up a response.  He demands you tell me my dream AND the interpretation or I tear you limb from limb.  At this point I'd be rethinking my decision to become a "wise man" of the day.   Since they are clearly unable to do this the king orders all "wise men" killed.

Daniel, sleeping in his home, being a wise man, was on the list to be killed.  So the kings men go to find Daniel and kill him ... and ... here is the verse that just jumped off the page...
What would you do if someone broke into your home to kill you?  Sticky situation, wouldn't you agree?

So here's is what was said about Daniel and his response ... "When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion."


Wisdom and discretion ...


How many times have I responded without either of those tools in my belt!  I respond out of rage and fear ... pride and strength ... hate ... power ... 
Whatever will put me on top - will get back at you - will leave you in a place worse than when you came in the door...


But how awesome would it be to have WISDOM and DISCRETION ready to go - when someone breaks into your room to drag you off and tear you from limb from limb.  


I'm pretty sure any other response from Daniel and this would have been the shortest book in the OT about a guy who became a vegetarian and was then torn limb from limb!  But because he leaned on wisdom and not his own his story is told, his faith is grown, and God uses him to bring a nation to it's knees and bring glory to God through such wisdom and discretion.

maybe I need a little more of that in my daily life, in my house, in my ministry, in my marriage ...