If you grew up watching cartoons, then I’m sure you remember the Warner Brothers series “The Roadrunner.” Each episode, Wile E. Coyote tried to catch the Roadrunner, but to no avail. Throughout the episode, he’d receive his share of hard knocks – falling off of cliffs, getting hit by vehicles, and even being captured by his own traps. He experienced such hardship that the cartoon could have easily been renamed “The Unfortunate Woes of Wile E.Coyote.” Every episode, however, Wile E. Coyote kept pursuing his dream, proving that you can make it through life’s hard knocks.
How do you keep pressing when victory seems unlikely? How do you remain optimistic when it seems like one bad thing happens after another? Job, the featured character in the verses cited above, had his share of hard knocks. He lost everything – family, finances, etc. – yet his attitude remained exemplary. How? He realized that his circumstances did not change God; therefore, he could “praise the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21, New Living Translation).
One way to make it through life’s hard knocks is to remember that God isn’t schizophrenic. Your circumstances might change, but God doesn’t. Just keep your hand in His, and like Job, He’ll bring you out!
“I am the Lord, and I do not change …” (Malachi 3:6, New Living Translation)