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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

What Should You Do in a Crisis?

Eventually it will happen to you. It happens to everyone. There will be a moment when something unexpected happens. It will be bad. It may be sudden. What should you do?

Most crises do not arrive totally unexpected. There are some indicators for most. Most people are fired with some warning. They know someone is going to get the ax but they may not expect it to be so up close and personal. People usually know the possibilities before they go to the doctor. They know that no one is impervious to bad news.

The first thing you should do if you suspect anything is going to happen is to determine what the worst news you would receive might be and think what the result of that news will mean. In other words, if you lose your job the worst result of that might be that you lose your house. Once you have determined the worst case scenario, do all that you can to keep that from happening. Don't sit on your hands and let the storm overwhelm you. Think of all the things you can do, choose those that are reasonable and do them. They will give you something to do and hope even if they don't work. They will show others that you don't let things run over you. You do something about your problems.

At the same time I would suggest that you pray. This is the best of times to pray even if you have never prayed before. You will mean every word because you need some relief from the crisis.

My suggestion for prayer might surprise you though. First, thank God for what you have. Through this you show God that you have recognized His grace to you already. You will be depending on His grace for your future, too.

Next, be specific with your prayers. What do you really need? Is it any job or a particular job? Most of us don't want any job. We want one that we enjoy going to. It could be that your crisis is an opportunity to get more training to get that job. Ask God to give you what you really need with the best of your ability to discern what that is.

Join with others in this prayer. Bring your family together and pray. They have a vested interest in this too. This will be an opportunity to bring your family closer than they have ever been before. So, make sure you don't hide the crisis from them. They can't help or pray unless they are aware.

Explore all the possibilities which will meet your need. Prayer does not rule out effort on your part. Look on the internet and email people who indicate they have answers you need.

Your greatest need may be encouragement. Stay away from people who believe there is no hope. They will bring you down and keep you from doing the things to get out of the crisis. Get around those who are possibility thinkers. I hope those people are at a church near you. God is on our side even when the crisis hits. Never forget that. Get encouragement from it. Never give up, never, never, never!

Finally, thank God for bringing you out of the crisis. You should do this before you are really out of the crisis. This reveals your faith in God. I once had a man with terminal cancer whom I wrote. I said, "I thank God that He will heal you. God is guaranteed to heal you; if not in this life, surely in the next." That man kept that note beside his bed until he died. He told me to read it at his funeral. I would have rather he was healed on this earth but heaven is not a punishment. It is a reward.

This attitude will help you get out of your crisis. The person who is crushed by his circumstances has a harder time healing, getting a job or convincing someone that he or she should buy his product. This person has a advocate who can't be defeated and knows that while he may be knocked down at the moment, he will get up to run again.

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