SEEK WISDOM
In order to have a comeback, you must look for the lesson. Many try to push the setback behind them as quickly as possible, which is precisely why so many go from setback to setback to setback. I believe God’s desire is for everyone to have a comeback. But in order to do so, there are certain things you must do. And if you are unwilling to look for the lessons in the setback, you will never enjoy a comeback.
Some want to point their finger at God and say, “God, you’ve done me wrong. You never bless me; I never end up on the right side of things.” The reality is, before you turn away from or blame God for the setback, you need to ask yourself if God is trying to tell you something. Ecclesiastes 10:8–10 says, “If you dig a pit, you might fall in. If you break down a wall, a snake might bite you. You could even get hurt by chiseling a stone or chopping a log. If you don’t sharpen your ax, it will be harder to use. If you are smart, you will know what to do.” If you are smart, you will ask yourself, “Is there a lesson here?” Maybe there is, or maybe God is trying to show you something. Before you run away from or try to bury it, before you try to stop thinking about it, remember that God may have gotten your attention for a reason. The setback is so that you might sharpen your ax and be smarter the next time.
There are stupid people, and there are smart people. What’s the difference? It is not IQ. Actually the Bible’s definition isn’t about innate intelligence. When the Bible talks about smart or stupid, it is referring to wisdom, which is the application of knowledge. All of us can receive knowledge that we can either apply or not. The Bible says if you are smart, you will know what to do. You will know that you need to be careful when you are chiseling a stone or you are chopping down a tree. You need to be wise about the things you do. And if you hurt yourself the first time, you will make sure to learn the lesson for the next time. But you need to look for the lesson. Whatever has happened, whatever your setback may be, you need to look for the lesson. If you think there is no lesson, you need to look harder and peer deeper.
A couple will come to me and say, “We want to get married. We have both been divorced and have fallen in love, so we want to get remarried.” I have a premarital process I use with couples to properly prepare them for a lifelong commitment, but the reality is that sixty percent of second marriages end in divorce. What is going on? People are not looking for the lesson. They are not looking for what they can learn from their first failed marriage that will keep them from experiencing the same setback again. If you failed the first time, you want to make sure it does not happen a second time.
You can blame other people. You can think it is just bad luck. You can try to not think about it at all. Or you could look for the lesson.
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