Who’s idea was this anyway?

NOW HIRING: Crisis Manager

I love it when people ask me what I do for fun. I mean, sure, there are the appropriate responses like gardening, reading, and going thrifting but what about the things we never say out loud? You know, the ones that make us weird. I’m talking about browsing Zillow for homes I can’t afford, pinning recipes on Pinterest that I know I’ll never cook, or binge-watching TikTok videos and marvelling at how many people can publicly humiliate themselves so effortlessly. If you’re looking for a new hobby, may I suggest one of my favorites – perusing job-search engines. Hear me out, these things can go from boring to what-did-I-just-read in no time flat. I once read a job description for an Office Cleaner that said,

This opportunity as a part-time Office Cleaner is not for you if:

• You get butt hurt easily
• You don’t play well with others- because for some reason nobody likes you.

If that isn’t entertainment then I don’t know what is!

Recently, I was enjoying my newfound hobby, and I read a posting titled, Manager, Crisis Management. Okay, now I was intrigued. I skimmed the job description and scrolled down to the good stuff – the qualifications. Must have at least 5 years experience in crisis management and a proven knowledge of crisis management techniques regarding continuity of operations and life safety of associates.

Amused, I smirked and thought to myself – I’m overqualified. But seriously, who signs up for this kind of thing? Crisis management? Where do I sign? Can you imagine waking up every day wondering what kind of crisis you get to manage today? People are nuts.

Some days, life feels like that job posting, doesn’t it? I mean, there’s a crisis in my backseat every time we pull out of the driveway or my 6-year-old looks at her brother. Only I’m not earning a lucrative salary because I’m a volunteer. Okay, hostage is more like it. If someone had handed me a list in my twenties that read,

• infertility
• a life of full-time ministry to include: financial insecurity, multiple relocations, and a healthy dose of church hurt
• a diagnosis of Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease at age 40
• sudden loss of a life you love due to the betrayal by your closest friends and those you trusted

… I probably wouldn’t have signed on the dotted line; I’m just sayin’. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret my life or the beauty and blessings I have experienced along the way, but if I had known upfront what was coming without knowing how God would work in each of those crises, I would have said – thanks, but no thanks.

David knew something about crises, too. In Psalm 35, we find him once again in distress, pleading to God for vindication and defense before his adversaries.

Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
² Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for my help.
³ Also draw out the spear,
And stop those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation.”

⁴ Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
Who seek after my life;
Let those be turned back and brought to confusion
Who plot my hurt.

David, who experienced persecution and betrayal by those he trusted, reminds us over and over that God is our defender and our salvation.

But the Lord has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 94:22

When life brings us unexpected trials, we experience all kinds of emotions. I’m learning that I do not have to be ashamed of my emotions; I can be honest about them and lay them at the feet of the One who already knows. In verse 17 of Chapter 35, David says,

Lord, how long will You look on?

David is being honest here, acknowledging that he is feeling unseen and abandoned in his trial. However, despite those very real feelings, David keeps calling on his God.

Rescue me from their destructions,
My precious life from the lions.
¹⁸ I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among ^[h]many people.

What a beautiful reminder that we should leave the crisis managing up to God! Again and again, God’s Word reminds us that He will be our defender, and yet all too often, we go into crisis management mode, taking matters into our own hands.

Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” In her book Raised To Stay, Natalie Runion says,

As believers of Jesus we have heard this over and over, but here’s our reality: we rarely stay calm. We see the approaching storm; drama and chaos overtake us, and rather than letting the Lord steer our vessel, we take matters into our own hands and slam ourselves into the rocky shore.

We let our pride drive and we put the Holy Spirit in the back of the boat.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably encountered your fair share of unexpected (and even unwelcomed) events in your life. Life is just hard sometimes. Can I encourage you today to just trust God with whatever it is that has your head swirling? Like David we can be raw and real enough to acknowledge how we are feeling and then, like a lower-level employee, trust that somewhere up the chain there’s somebody way more qualified to handle the problem.

May you be comforted and encouraged today, knowing that we have an all-knowing and all-powerful Heavenly Father handling all those things that we can not. Whatever it is, Friend, God’s got it, and He’s got you! ⚓

And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord;
It shall rejoice in His salvation.

Psalm 35:9