It was one of those conversations that break your heart. A friend is telling you their situation, and it isn’t good. Just listening, you can tell it was taking a toll. There’s no need to go into the details because everyone’s situation is different, and because, well, stuff is stuff.
Everybody has got stuff. You know what stuff is. It’s those things that make our life much more difficult than we think it ought to be. I can spend time getting more specific about it, but I think you already know what stuff is. You have seen it in your life. I know I have in mine. If you are not dealing with stuff at this present time, you’ve dealt with it in the past and the odds are, you will in the future. It’s not being negative, just realistic. Jesus knew that. He said, “In this life, you will have trouble.” (Don’t get too depressed, there’s some very good news at the end of that verse.)
Everybody’s got stuff, even presidents. Currently, I am reading Bill O’Reilly’s new bestseller, “Confronting the Presidents.” It seems like about every president has had to deal with personal issues along with running our country. In his two previous bestsellers, “Killing Lincoln” and “Killing Kennedy,” O’Reilly described the trials of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Not only having to deal with national issues, like the Civil War and the Cuban missile crisis, the two presidents dealt with personal and family issues.
Lincoln and Kennedy had stuff, too. Abraham Lincoln had to deal with a wife who had emotional and mental problems, and had a son die while he was in office. John Kennedy had a back injury and had to deal with severe pain on a daily basis. He also had an infant son who died while he was in office. Oh yeah, you think you’ve got stuff, they both were assassinated.
Since everybody has got stuff, maybe I should look at my difficulties in a different light. First, realize that I’m not the only one with a problem. I’m not saying I’m glad that you also have problems. But it is somewhat comforting to know that I’m not the only one who is having, have had, or will face difficulties. It’s good not to feel like you’re the only one in that boat.
Second, maybe I need to look around and see others who are in need. Alonzo Mourning was a NBA basketball star. At the end of a successful basketball career he had to battle with kidney failure. Rather than having that pity party, he said, “You may think you have it rough, but there’s always someone out there who has it worse.” Several years ago, I read that quote when I was going through a particularly tough period in my life and it helped. Because it’s true, there’s always someone out there who has it worse. Instead of spending so much time concentrating on our own problems, maybe we can invest that time wisely, doing what we can to help those that do have it worse. By the way, Alonzo Mourning has had to battle more stuff since then, dealing with and overcoming stage 3 prostate cancer.
Yes, at some point in time, everybody’s got stuff. But it’s still smart, if we can, to try to avoid it, especially the self-inflicted kind. Making wise financial, health and personal decisions (and sometimes just not being stupid) can go a long way in making our lives not so difficult. Be grateful during the good times, and when possible, use that time in ways to help others.
So stuff is a part of our lives. And Jesus said we would have trouble. But that’s not the whole verse. In Luke 16:33, Jesus proclaims, “In the world you will have tribulation;
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The Overcomer is here to help. I suppose that’s the point I am trying to make.
I don’t want to belittle the challenges that many may be facing. I admire their courage and fortitude as they face those obstacles. But the stuff we face in life is an opportunity for Jesus to show his overcoming power through us. And we all have that opportunity at some point in our lives. Because everybody’s got stuff.