About doing the right thing in defeat, disappointment, and loss…
1 Kings 9:4 "As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and
uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my
decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever…(NIV)
When we suffer defeat, disappointment, and loss, we often get angry. The more
suffering we undergo, the angrier we can get. We somehow take our hurt and grief
over a loss and turn those emotions into anger and hatred. Hitler turned Germany’s
hurt and grief over losing World War I into anger and hatred against the Jews
and against other nations. The result of this hurt and grief turned to anger was
the loss of life for millions, the destruction of Germany and many parts of
Europe, and the self-destruction of Hitler by suicide. As our life plays itself
out, we must make decisions when we are defeated, when we are disappointed, and
when we suffer a loss. Each of us must decide how we are to think, to act, and
to feel in every circumstance. The power of darkness wants you to make an
automatic response of anger and hatred in loss. The power of God’s love and
the power of God wants you to not be angry, but be forgiving, to keep looking
forward, and to find hope in Christ in all matters. When we see God in all the
workings of life, we soon realize our defeats, disappointments, and losses here
on earth are only temporary. When look up to God, we see victory, hope, and
eternal gain. When we see God, we have the power and are then able to walk
upright, to do the right thing, and to live with integrity.
