Isn’t that the way most of our problems are successfully solved? To leave out any of those steps seems nearly impossible to me.  I’d like to say that I could leave out the whining, but unfortunately dramatizing problems is my specialty.

In fact, we all fight the urge to whine and complain. It is human nature to get frustrated when things don’t go our way.  I suspect even Buddhist monks get annoyed on occasion.  The only difference is that they rebound in a nanosecond, whereas the rest of us need to work at keeping our complaining to a minimum.

The key is to learn to jump from the “whining” step to the “pulling it together” step as quickly as possible. The less time you spend in the “Woe Is Me” zone, the happier you will be.  One way to make that transition is to become skilled at redirecting your attention.  Obsessing about a problem, aka worrying, never solves anything.  The next time you are chomping at the bit to worry or complain, instead say to yourself, “I’m going to give my mental energy to something else and let God handle this problem on His timetable.”

When we “pull it together,” we let go of our problem as a show of faith. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, Peter the Apostle writes,

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

The phrase “cast your anxiety” provides a wonderful image. The definition of “to cast” is to throw something forcefully in a specified direction.  We aren’t just called to stop worrying.  We are called to figuratively throw our worries away from us.

Once we’ve cast our problems to God, we then can pray from a place of faith. If we pray while we are still clutching on to our problems, our prayer will sound something like this: “God, I hope you can help me.  But if you can’t, I guess I’ll figure this out on my own.”  I, unfortunately, have prayed with that attitude many times in my life.  However, it is so much better when we pray with faith.  When we cast our cares to God, we are able to pray, “God, please resolve this issue.  And while you are solving this problem, I will be at peace, knowing that you will work all things out for my good.”

The final step after we pray is to wait. I have found in my journey with God that there is a lot of waiting.  In fact, sometimes I feel like there is a silly amount of waiting.  However, I’ve learned that when I am waiting, God is working.  When I am waiting, He is helping me to grow in maturity.  He is using that time to teach me to trust him.  And He is using my situation in a very creative way to help me to fulfill my purpose on this earth.

Waiting with peace and trusting God go hand in hand. In fact, that is what our journey with God is really all about.  As we go through life, we are learning to trust God.  We are learning to trust that His ways are better than our ways.  We are learning that if we simply do the right thing every day, He will work out our circumstances out for our benefit.  And when we inevitably make mistakes, we can be assured that He will redirect us toward the right path.

It is hard to get through a day on this earth without having a problem, either large or small. Learning to handle those problems with God is the key to living a happier life.  So the next time something in your life goes wrong, consider taking these steps: Whine.  Pull It Together.  Pray.  Wait.