Life Sucks! Or Does It?

For many people, this world is distressingly unpleasant. Woody Allen once said, "Life is divided into the horrible and the miserable." Not really. The fact is, attitude is everything for better or worse. The way we perceive the world has a powerful effect on the results we obtain. A negative attitude is almost a guarantee that life will be more difficult and less fulfilling than it should be. Illustration: One year my best friend and I went to the Missouri State Fair. After walking around for hours we decided to stop for a bite to eat. I love State Fairs! It is a day where diets don't matter. At least in my book. That day the air was filled with the smell of kettle corn, BBQ ribs, snow cones, and cotton candy. I was in the mood for one of those long, deep-fried corn dogs on a stick. After paying $4.00 I took my chubby corn dog, found a picnic table, and sat down. Soon after my friend sat down with her chili covered corn chips. I was practically drooling on myself when I took my first bite. "Oh yum! Now, this is heaven," I said (picture above.) As my teeth sunk down for a second bite, the entire corn dog fell off the stick and plummeted to the grass below. For a moment I couldn't believe what had just happened. I was somewhere between disbelief and anger. There was my corn dog lying on the ground, $4.00 wasted, and I was still hungry! I looked up in disbelief when my friend quipped, "It's all fun and games until you lose your Weiner." That's all it took for me to see the situation in a different light. Instead of feeling anger and disappointment, I actually saw the incident as humorous. We laughed about it for the entire day and kept replaying it over and over. Things could have been different though. I could have chosen to be angry and distraught over the fact I wasted $4.00. I could have let it ruin my day. A pessimistic outlook in any situation will adversely affect your health too. This was true of many patients I spoke with while employed in the mental health field. I recall one patient who burst into my private office, threw herself down in my chair, and began weeping profusely! "I have been chemically depressed for years," she said, " I've tried Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, even suicide and nothing can lift this heaviness from me! Life sucks. My job sucks. My husband sucks. Even the dog sucks. Everything sucks. I just want to die!"

What do you do when life sucks? I've heard it said, 'when life throws you lemons, make lemonade.' But what happens if life throws you something bigger and more bitter than lemons? Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt abandoned, betrayed, ignored, insulted? What do you do? Do you reach out to God in prayer? That's great if you do, but what do you pray for? What is it you pray about? Do you tell God what happened to you and finish off with an amen? There is something you must never forget. I'm speaking of a three letter word. That word is BUT. You probably don't realize it, but it is a very powerful word when praying, especially when life sucks! I know, I know ... it's such a small word but it packs a big punch. How so? Well, that little word has the power to take you in a completely different direction. I compare it to the switch used on the rails trains ride. Have you ever seen a railroad man standing on the tracks as a train approaches? He won't ever stand in front of a train unless he is operating the switch at a railroad junction which will guide the train from one track to another. That's the word, "but." It will completely change the direction and power your prayer carries. It will be the switch that God will notice. I'll give you an example prayer: My life sucks right now, God, everything seems to have turned upside down and is spinning out of control, BUT I know you love me, care for me, and will never forsake me because I trust in you. Your Word promises me safety and shelter! Look at what King David prayed in Psalm 13 (emphasis mine):


Psalm 13:

How long will You forget me, O Lord? Forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long should I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemies say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
BUT I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing unto the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.


In the first four verses of David's psalm he seems to be crying out 'my life sucks and you don't seem to care, God.' How many of us have ever felt like David? I highlighted the word BUT in the psalm. David threw in that powerful word "but." Then everything changed. David then points himself back to the fact that he has and continues to trust in God's love for him, in the Lord's salvation, and because he chooses to praise God and declare that he has been dealt with bountifully by God. This isn't always easy to do when you're in the midst of your own crisis, and it certainly necessitates a prior belief in the goodness of God, but it can be done! Almighty God has a plan for our lives, and His plans are never derailed! Life IS NOT divided into the horrible and the miserable. I love this verse from Jeremiah 29:11, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future" (New International Version). It is always important to plan and prepare for life. But if your plans have suffered a setback, don't let discouragement overtake your mind. God loves you, He knows all about it. His plans will unfold in His timing. Life is a blessing, not a curse. Every breath we take is given to us by God. Keep that three-letter word near when you pray. Declare His promises, declare His Word, then trust Him to work things out. Until next time ...
-Pat-