“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” “There’s a silver lining in every dark cloud.” “Tough times never last, but tough people do!”
There’s never a shortage of proverbs and adages related to overcoming adversity and turning bad things into something beneficial. These quips can be helpful and encouraging when facing difficulties to be sure. At the same time, we have become more aware of “triggers” and how to avoid them to minimize any negative impact on our life. If you think about it, there are lots of things that have trigger warnings: movies and concerts with flashing lights, graphic content and violence in books or news reporting, prejudicial or hate signs and lots more.
I also know that each of us has our own distinct triggers, and we would be wise to recognize the warnings and be alert to stuff that can “set us off.”
It’s noteworthy that there are trigger warnings in the Bible. For example, in Jeremiah 7:27, God tells Jeremiah, “You shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will not answer you.” I think God also gave Paul a trigger warning when Agabus prophesied to him in Acts 21:11, “And coming to us, he [Agabus] took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says: “In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”’
Paul’s reaction to Agabus’ prophecy is interesting and informative. In verse thirteen, Paul answers, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” We read that Paul didn’t ignore the trigger warning from Agabus, but instead, he let everyone know that he was not only ready to be imprisoned for Jesus but also to die for Him.
To this end, while it is smart to avoid harmful triggers, sometimes that’s not possible. In these situations, let’s ask God to help us redeem whatever is triggering us to be something constructive and helpful. I suggest that one of the ways for God to redeem the various triggers we experience is to keep our attention fixed on Jesus. I say this based on what we read in Hebrews 12:2, which says, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In triggering situations that we can’t avoid or change, let’s endeavor to keep our attention firmly focused on Jesus as we go through the hardship. It’s also constructive to remind ourselves of experiences in which God was faithful to us in the past, such that our perception of God’s character doesn’t change in difficult and triggering scenarios.
While triggers can definitely be lemons and bring sourness to our life, it’s possible to make lemonade by increasing our focus on Jesus and trusting in Him!
