When Everything is Not going to be Alright

Popular among American expressions either in lyrics in music or even among one another is that Everything is going to be Alright.

The problem with this expression albeit as positive as it may be in viewing a bad situation is that it does not account for reality. For example: situations such as: losing an important job, forfeiting a home, an automobile, a regrettable divorce, the loss of a loved one, or even say losing a foot.

Now, let’s get real. Everything is not all right if you losing your foot. In fact without medical care, you might lose more than your foot. Any of you gain your foot the medical expense and the pain is not exactly what I referred to as being all right. No everything is not going to be all right.

Yes, a positive attitude toward adversity is preferred over negativity. However, a Pollyanna-istic approach to problems is absurd. It’s not all right when you’re in pain. It is not all right when you lose a loved one or any of the other infirmities that may be inflicted upon our person. The fact of the matter is oftentimes our circumstances are anything but all right. The only people were things all right are those who are not undergoing those bad terrible situations.

For Christians, the promise too is that things won’t necessarily be all right. The promise by Jesus and the Holy Spirit is that our tribulations can be made bearable. This is far from being all right. Simply look at all the apostles. All the apostles but one suffered a grueling horrific death. That is not all right. Even Jesus suffering on the cross is not exactly what I referred to as events being Peaches and Cream. Consequently, we should caution against the goody two-shoes approach in attempting to comfort those who suffer. A much better reference to people who are undergoing trials would be simply to refer them to Scriptures. It is difficult to go wrong in quoting the word of God unless of course, you take it out of context. Who

Perhaps another approach would be to simply keep our mouth shut. Proverbs states that even a pool appears to be wise when he is silent and so then it pays to keep one’s mouth shut. If one has a desire to comfort another brother or sister many times what really is needed is the mere presence of the comforter which introduces the receiver to the spirit of God. To this effect requires no words at all. And when that happens everything in fact is indeed all right.

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