“A faith that is tried by fire is a faith that can be trusted.”~Robin Luftig
How do we stay calm in a crisis? Life throws lots of surprises at us. Take the way frigid temps and snow changed everything this past few days. Plus, we all make foolish decisions we live to regret. But, a faith that is tried by fire is a faith that can be trusted, according to Robin Luftig.
Robin came on Fireside Talk Radio because I wanted to hear what she learned from her near-death encounter with a brain tumor.
After I read her book, God’s Best During Your Worst, I had questions. Lots of questions. I needed to talk to her myself. How do we stay calm in a crisis with all the challenges life dishes out? Not to mention our own silly mistakes (read: my own selfishness)?
Silly Decisions We All Make
“We do make silly, silly decisions,” says Robin. She thinks back to a series of life-changing decisions she made as a young person. She was living with her dad after her parents divorced.
“I decided it was time that I take control of my life. I knew everything I needed to know.” She decided to get married at seventeen.
Whoa! Definitely not what I expected.
Calm in Crises of Our Own Making
Of course, we’ve all make foolish decisions as young people. Looking back, there’s always something we wish we could do over. Most women can relate to the suffering Robin experienced as a result of her youthful mistake. (Find more on how trauma in our youth affects us for a long time.)
“The thought of that now just makes me shake,” she says. “That (decision) set me on a path that was devastating.” (Find more on healing after trauma.)
A Broken Process
“My whole process was broken. I was in control,” she says. “It was all about me. That set a standard I followed for many years. God had to save me from the gates of hell. To pull me back from that sense of control.”
Naturally, we can all relate. If there’s one thing the last week has taught me as I sit in my freezing house with no electricity and no water, it’s this. Clearly, I’m not in control. But I sure wanna be.
Worthy of God’s Love
Yep, Mother Nature whipped up a dollop of fluffy snow and the pioneer woman in me ran and hid under the blankets by the fireplace. Luckily, I made and ate a noteworthy supply of fat bombs to survive. Fortunately, David is a terrific and very funny companion in crisis. A nice calm-in-crisis balance to my panicky, let’s-fix-this-NOW mode.
I like the way Robin gets to the point when it comes to who is in control.
“There is nothing any of us could do to make us worthy of God’s love. Conversely, there is nothing so bad that would make God not love us,” explains Robin. “That’s what my purpose in life is. To share that God’s love for us is not ABOUT us, but ABOUT Him!”
Wow! Does God really love me or not?
“It’s so simple. It’s not easy, but it’s simple,” she says.
What about when it’s freezing outside and I’m sulking because we’re not at the beach. Okay, this is the real me. Winter shivers bring out the worst in me. Seriously, are you getting a hint of why I couldn’t wait to talk to Robin?
Evidence of God’s Mercy
God gives us chance after chance to learn how to trust Him. David and I witnessed it as our parents aged. Now our kids and grandkids get a front-row seat as we age.
“The blessing of this brain surgery and the brain trauma was I had to learn that completely. I think I had gotten the message good. Maybe not well enough,” she says. She adds a little hint of the big things she learned in the days following her diagnosis.
“I wake up now and I thank God for putting the air in my lungs. I know I don’t have any control,” she says, adding, “I know I have no promise of seeing the end of the day. But at least He’s given me the gift of seeing the beginning of it.”
I Got This
As my mom aged, she set such a beautiful example of aging gracefully. She wasn’t dead 15 minutes before Dave and I said, “Uh oh! It’s our turn!”
Control is evidence of fear. We learned a lot watching Mom surrender to all kinds of new situations. For many folks, one of the common ways we respond to fear is to try to control anything we can. It’s crazy. What’s really funny is I’m past 60 and I still think, I think I can control that situation. Hahaha.
“It’s deep seated, you know, that deep-seated sin of control,” laughs Robin. “We think we got it.”
The Cost of Trust
Whether it’s self-inflicted pain, unavoidable moments in life, or somebody who is messy, we ALL face pain. Usually, the cost of a giving-up-control lifestyle is sacrifice. However, the sacrifice is worth the fellowship gained with God.
So, I asked Robin, how do we gain victory when we face trauma? Exactly where does trust in God come from?
“One of the benefits of having a trauma that lasts ten days, I didn’t have time to be afraid. I had work to do,” explains Robin. “I had to find out if God was really who He was.”
Tenderly, she describes doing a “swan dive into the lap of Jesus.”
“I had to give up all pretense of having any control. Because I didn’t have time,” she adds.
Of course, facing death gave her a fresh perspective on facing life.
Calm in a Crisis
“It’s all about that control. And I don’t want control. I’ve got a heavenly Father that’s created the universe. I think He could handle it,” Robin reports.
Plus, she adds some great advice, “If our hearts are just focused on God, if we just love Jesus and accept Him as our Savior, I think that’s good.”
What a privilege to get to have an actual conversation with Robin—so relaxed and chill! She is a perfect example of how letting go of control overflows into confidence in God. Robin blesses others, in her writing and all she shared on the podcast. It’s a personal blessing to me to read her writing. I pray our conversation blesses you as much as it did me.
You are Our People
YOU are the reason we have these conversations, the blogs, the podcasts. We want you to have tools to talk about the things that matter most to YOU.
Like us, you too, live for a chance to share victories of people we all admire. And pass on their positive messages.
Thank you for the emails we get each week. Your encouragement always comes at exactly the right moment. You know, that moment when I think I can’t do this alone, Lord, (sniff, sniff, poor me), where are You?
🙂
cathy
Truth with a Texas Twang
P.S. Join the TEAM!
When you join our BOOK LAUNCH TEAM, you’ll be up-to-the-minute on insider news. Plus, you’ll help us push amazing stories out there into a universe in desperate need of good stuff. THANK YOU!!!
Better Conversations Starting NOW!
Wondering if there’s any hope of starting better conversations with the messiest people in your life? Yes, of course!
Do Jesus’s own communication strategies tickle your imagination? Me, too! And don’t forget, I’d love to substitute in your Sunday school class. Want better conversations at church? Invite me to join you soon. (Or get your copy of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations.)
Marriage Conversations! YAY!!
❤️ Great News! Marriage Conversations: From Coexisting to Cherished available now! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Plus, Paula Quinn joins me on Fireside Talk Radio to talk about the questions God asks us!! You will love this amazing teacher and new friend! (Thanks, sweet Eugenia, for connecting us.) And yep, this gal is from Tyler, Tx, too, so there’s lots to discuss!
Additionally, beloved friend and author Nancy Kay Grace shares some powerful stuff about grace. This is one lady I love to quote!
Especially for homeschoolers, Jack Sharpe of Bethlehem Books Publishing joins me. You’ll love what this humble scholar has to say about wives. I confess, I always judge men by how they talk about their wives. Jack is a winner! You’re gonna love his insight. Plus, Bethlehem resurrects classic books for kids. What a blessing all the way around!
Special Texas Treat–Hands Full Author Brooke Frick
Are you in East Texas, too? Author and friend Brooke Frick is coming to Tyler. We can team-teach for your next group. Don’t miss this chance to snag Brooke for your Sunday school class, church, or book club! Contact her here.
May we pray together?
Dear good heavenly Father, How we love You! You offer Your love and presence in our loves without favoritism, regardless of how worthy or unworthy we feel. Your own Son’s sacrifice was more than enough to pay for all our silly mistakes, even our blatant sin and selfishness. Keep us calm, give us Your peace, in the crises we all face in life. Teach us to trust Your goodness. Give us grace to love others unconditionally. Teach us to let go of controlling. Bless us now because that is Your heart’s desire. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
When has a crisis tested your faith? What did you learn from your moment of crisis? If you had it to do over, what would you change?
Cathy Krafve, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. We invite you to join the Fireside Tribe. Truth with a Texas Twang.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks