Do I Contribute to My Troubles?

by David Rollert

Everyone will come upon difficult times in their lives: Emotional difficulties, financial difficulties, relationship difficulties, difficulties with sin, and more. When these difficulties come, many people ask, “Why would God let this happen to me?” However, in most cases, these troubles don’t just materialize out of nowhere. They come about because of decisions we, or those around us, have made. Sure, there are situations where a person faces difficulties that they had no part in creating. But, those situations are far less common than we want to admit.

The goal here is not a guilt-trip. The goal is to promote healing and growth. Each of us must be honest with ourselves about how we end up in difficult situations so that we can move forward and avoid those situations in the future.

For an example of this, consider Zephaniah 1:7-13. God states that He will punish Judah and Jerusalem. But, He does not leave them to guess why they will be punished. God explains that they sinned in their trust of foreign wealth over God (vs. 8). They sinned by filling the temple with violence and deceit (vs. 9). They sinned with dishonest business dealings (vs. 11). They sinned by becoming spiritually stagnate (vs. 12).

They would be punished because of decisions they made. God encourages them to look at their own actions and conform those actions to His will. This is called repentance.

Applying this lesson in our lives today, we also see the importance of being honest about how our decisions, habits, and actions contribute to our struggles. Look at the times that you have chosen sin over righteousness, or chosen selfishness over Godly love. Consider times you have chosen indulgence over self-control, ignoring some part of God’s wisdom because it would impede your fun.

Observing and admitting how our actions have contributed to our current difficulties helps us to heal. First, it helps us see what actions we need to take to get out of our current difficulties. Second, it helps us to avoid those same mistakes in the future. While we cannot change our past decisions, we can learn from them and grow past them.