Some times life is just hard, so don’t freak out, just work through it.  I’m 57 years old now.  I guess one thing that I’ve seen over and over and over; “Stuff Happens.”  Things happen in life that are completely unexpected. None of us are perfect and we live with imperfect people in an imperfect world.

I had a grandson born nine months ago with a metabolic disorder that unless he gets a liver transplant he will have to regulate his protein intake his whole life because his body cannot process them.  (Check out this blog post). Stuff happens. No one saw it coming, but now his parents just have to work through it.

One thing I was taught during my Army career is that a plan is a plan until the battle starts.  Once it starts, you don’t know what is going to happen.  Life is the same way. You may have financial plans in place, but then the market crashes; stuff happens.  You may have a career plan and then you get a boss who for whatever reason doesn’t like you. Stuff happens. You may have family plans. You know how many children you are going to have and how you’re going to raise them.  Then you find out that you’re infertile. The list and go on and on.

The important thing is not that stuff happens. The important thing is how you handle it; how you adjust your plan in the battle of life. I once commanded an Artillery Battery. We were out on a training exercise and several of our vehicles got stuck in the mud up to their axels. (Check out this blog post). Stuff happens. Now we could have just freaked out and not done anything but lament. But, what we did is methodically work our way out of the mess. That’s what we have to do in life. Don’t freak out. Formulate a plan and just work your way through it.

One thing that really doesn’t solve anything is whining. Yes it may identify the problem, but in the long run it won’t solve the problem. In fact it will probably do a good job of making you ineffective. Your whining will probably lower your morale and heighten the feeling that this problem is insurmountable.  So, quit you’re bellyaching and get busy.

Actor Ashton Kutcher was asked what he missed about growing up and living in the Midwest (Iowa).  He said, “I miss being around people that don’t complain. I’m in the drama business, and there are a lot of dramatic people that seem to be not very happy with where they are.” When you hit a snag, don’t complain.  Simply take time to reassess and then start trying to work you way out of the problem.

Ultimately the way to make it through the difficulty is putting your faith in someone that can pull you out of the mud.  Jesus said, John 16:33 (NIV)  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  Put your faith in the overcomer and he’ll help you get through life when stuff happens.