Life does not come with an instruction manual. There are situations that we encounter on a daily basis that come up out of nowhere that shake us to the core or our being. How do you respond to your sixteen year old wanting to drop out of school? What about deciding which senior living facility to place your aging parent? Or should you take out that second mortgage to pay for home repairs? There are no set directions on how to handle the bigger issues we face in life.
When I was diagnosed with bipolar, I knew nothing about the mental illness. I did not receive an instruction manual from the psychiatrist to help me with every detour along the way. Over the years, I have had to make difficult decisions about my treatment. Some of these decisions did not come easy.
I learned that there was Somebody who could help me make those decisions when I was in need of wisdom and discernment. When you are faced with an issue that needs an answer or a decision and you do not know how to respond, what do you rely on as your instruction manual? Do you go to Oprah or Dr. Phil? What about Jack Daniels? We need Someone who wrote The instruction manual of all time.
We were not designed to face our problems alone. God in Heaven wants us to bring all our concerns to Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). When the rent is due and you do not have any money in the bank account to cover it, when you get a less than favorable report from the doctor or when you find out your teenager is bullying another student on the bus – that is the stuff of life God wants to hear about.
The Bible teaches, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication present your requests to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will be yours in Christ Jesus (Philipians 4:6-7). Give it over to God. Once you do, you can experience not just any type of peace or the peace that the world is handing out, but God’s peace.
I have heard it said that he Bible is the instruction manual for Christians. The Bible is also a love letter to you from God. He inspired the writing of the contents of the Bible. You can learn from the Bible ways to handle the difficult situations in your life as well as learn how much God loves you. Since you did not come with an instruction manual at birth, try using the Bible to face life head on.