Better at Being Challenged

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Mark 3:1-6 (NIV)

How do we become better at dealing with our challenges so that our reactions are not always based on the stoking of our hurts and our pain and our agitation, but so that we can offer God in response something that expands the kingdom and glorifies His name? How do we better respond to our challenges no matter where they may be—personal and professional and family and health challenges, emotional challenges, spiritual challenges, cultural challenges?

This text is teaching us that we can steward our challenges better if we do what Jesus did. His interaction was with some Pharisees who were watching a man with a shriveled hand waiting for Jesus to minister to him. Jesus becomes angry not at what they say, but because of the condition of their hearts. He’s angry to the point of almost having an outburst.

But Jesus shifted the focus. He knew where the challenge was coming from. He knew it was coming from those who were accusing Him. He knew who was stirring His anger and causing His distress. But He didn’t let the challenge angle His vision. He didn’t let the hurt angle His motivation. He took His vision, His virtue, His motivation, His might, and He angled it toward the man with the withered hand because He knew if He angled His motivation there, it would emote from Him something good.

Here’s the principle: You can’t deflect all of your challenges, but you can determine your angle and your focus toward something that glorifies God. This angling can reveal how powerful God is to have blessed us in spite of all the things that are circling around us.

There is no challenge in your life that ought to be able to unsettle you until you can’t angle your motivations to make sure you’re being led and guided by Christ.