When People Make Life Hard

"Well, are you going just to stand there or do something?" It was my first year of teaching, and I had learned quickly that the cafeteria was a no-talking zone for anyone. Students were expected to enter in silence, eat in the same manner, and exit without a word. So, staring at the horror on the child's face, the disapproval of my principal, and my feet surrounded by the mess on the floor, from the dropped tray, I froze. It didn't appear that either of us would experience any mercy.

Sometimes, people just make life hard. It's not a new problem; it's an ancient one. Exodus chapter 5 has much to say about the perils of dealing with difficult people. In this chapter, the Israelites are enslaved people in Egypt under a Pharaoh who is quite a taskmaster and knows nothing about his slaves except that they can make many bricks every single day. Things get pretty ugly when Moses and Aaron are sent to free the Israelites from their bondage. Pharaoh had no intention of letting them go and couldn't care less who their God was. In fact, he becomes so angry that he punishes the Israelites by refusing to supply them with straw to make his bricks and tells them they must find their own straw and meet the same quota for bricks each day. The Israelites feel helpless; it's as if they would be the ones to understand the predicament of the spilled tray with nowhere to turn if they had shared the same century with me. A mess, unfairness, and certainly no mercy, but their anger was misplaced, and the very ones willing to step in and rescue them were the ones they blamed. For a season, their anger burned against Moses and Aaron

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When people make life hard...

You may be on two playing fields—one believes God for direction, and one is unaware of God's ability to provide direction.

"Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go?"

Differing beliefs about the power of God's word: One takes God's word seriously, and one disregards His word's power.

"But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? "Get back to work!"

One will comfort you and the other will be critical of you - even blaming you.

"When they left Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron were waiting to meet them, and they said, "May the Lord look on you and judge you!"

In tough times, one will side with the one who seeks to destroy them, while the other will ask God to fulfill His promise.

The children of Israel struggled with desiring ease and contentment over the fulfillment of God's plan for them.

Beware of accepting the words or directions of the opposer rather than the truth from the Composer, God, who is the author of every human story.

Friend, wherever you find yourself right now—maybe crossing your own Red Sea, trusting God to hold the rough waters back, or possibly you are standing in the middle of a mess at work or home—God is ever-present. He is your refuge, your strength, and your deliverer. He has been there from the beginning and will see you through to the end.

"In you, LORD my God, I put my trust."

Psalm 25:1

Trust Him for whatever it is today.