A bird doesn’t sing out of duty or duress, but because it has a song within and must sing it.
Crises don’t form character as much as they reveal it. If a man is full of selfishness and bitterness, when he is jostled by circumstances, that’s what comes out. If he is filled with the Spirit, that’s what people will see. What came out of Job when he was knocked about? “…he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’” (Job 1:20-21). His logic was both simple and unassailable. I brought nothing into this world, and I will take nothing out of it. Between my birth and death, it’s up to the Lord what I gain and lose. In that case, my trust better be in that One who controls every detail of my existence, wouldn’t you agree? When my in-laws lost a boy shortly after birth, these words were included in the death notice: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” When my daughter lost a son just a few months old, she asked me to quote the same ancient words at the graveside. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 Jn 5:4). When a friend received news that he only had a few short weeks to live, he told me, “This is my last chance on earth to happily do the Lord’s will.” And with that, he stood, uncomplaining and resolute, smiling at the storm. How? “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Ps 61:2). No matter how far down you go, you’re never quite at the bottom. The Rock lifts you higher because the Lord went down lower, so that we can always say, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut 33:27).