How do you handle crisis?

Have you faced a crisis during the last few months? Many have experienced financial or personal economic crisis recently. How did you handle your last crisis? Did you use the chicken little approach? Panicked and ran to the phone to freak out with your friends – What do I do? What do I do?

Did you use the Eyore approach? Hung you heads and moped around. “Here I’ve saved my whole life and now I just my retirement is gone…just gone…poof. Of course it happened to me – nothing good ever happens to me.

Or did you begin your bargaining prayers, “Oh Lord, please don’t let this be the ruin of us financially. I could loose my house, the kid’s college education, Oh Lord If you could just get me thru this I promise I will start serving you better. I’ll go to church every Sunday, I’ll stop cussing and carrying on – Oh Please Lord – not me!

During the late 70’s I worked in the emergency room at University hospital. I had just graduated from high school and worked this summer job before I started college. I was a runner. I ran urine and blood samples to the lab and ran the results back to the emergency room. As you can imagine – I knew nearly every person that worked on the second floor of the hospital and I must tell you I had the time of my life. No place in Augusta was more hoppin’ than that emergency room. I had the bird’s nest seat. I stood in the background and watched drama unfold every time I worked. The medical students and interns worked in the ER too so there was an endless supply of life, death, drama, and yes – romance!

There were nights that were more routine and we sat around and visited. We often reviewed the strangest name list. (My favorite was the twins named Denise and Denephew.) Sometimes we looked back over the strangest complaint list. My favorite was the man that came in and wanted a blood transfusion to get rid of the cholesterol.

Of course there was a lot of “getting ready”. During those times we stocked supplies, tested equipment, cleaned and organized, and staged for the next event. Then, in the blink of an eye, someone would walk through the door and the whole atmosphere changed. Everyone immediately went into emergency mode and like clockwork everyone had a job, did the job and within seconds could change an entire situation. I have seen chest opened, hearts massaged and then run with the full team of people down the hall to the OR. The first birth I saw was by a lady that walked in mid birth and the baby born right before my eyes. – No problem. I have also witnessed the most sarcastic – caustic – health professionals turn calm and compassionate when working with a mother and her near drowning infant.

That team had practiced and practiced and knew exactly what to do and how to respond because it was their second nature. They were professionals. They had studied the books – researched every trauma that could occur. They knew the roles of everyone around them. They could respond in their sleep. And many did respond – right out of a dead sleep – when catastrophe hit. Are we professional Christians? Do we prepare ourselves so that when crisis comes we can rely on our studies, our knowledge of the truth, and our relationship with the Lord to call on all of these on a dime to get ourselves and our loved ones through the storm.

When you find yourself in the middle of crisis be plan to – increase your time in the “Word”. If you already have a regular quiet time, double it. If you don’t have a quiet time – make a special time for the Lord, use a Bible based study or devotion book.

Memorize a verse and claim it as your shield through this adversity. A couple of years ago I was working and driving middle schoolers everywhere. I wore a bracelet – this bracelet that said – Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. It was my theme verse of the year. After a job loss and kids that now drive themselves. Joe (my husband) says that if I slowed anymore I wouldn’t be moving at all!

We must also be willing to ask for Wisdom. James 1:5 (New Living) says “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

Last, get off your knees and pray. Not long ago Peggy (my daughter) and I went on a trip to a concert in Charlotte. We arrived during rush hour and we were using a Garmin to direct us to the concert. The radio was going, the Garmin was going and the traffic was flowing, and Peggy and I were in the middle of a lively discussion. In the middle of all of that Peggy picked up her purse, pulled her phone out of her purse and said “hello”. I never heard the phone ring but you can bet that she did. She was in tune to that phone. We must be like that – so in tune to our Lord that we can screen out all of the other interferences and here His voice. To know that voice we must be in such close communication that we recognize that voice when he calls us when we are in the middle of kaos.

Revelation 3:3 tells us. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you. When the world takes you to the edge of the cliff 2 things are going to happen: He will catch you or He will teach you how to fly. Don’t miss Him during the crisis. Look for Him. He’s there.