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Sudden Change

What do you do when your world caves in on you?

How do you handle adversity?

Or does adversity handle you?

I want to present you with a mental and theological shift in your thinking that will turn adversity into opportunity.

In high school, at Converse Judson in the San Antonio, Texas, area, I played football for D.W. Rutledge. He’s a Texas high school football legend. More than that, he’s a great man of great faith.

As a defensive player, when we came off the field and sat down on the bench to rest and be coached, there were times when the offense would give the ball back to the other team. This meant that, instead of resting, we had to rush back out onto the field, ready to play our defensive positions.

This is adversity!

Coach Rutledge would bark at the defense, “Sudden Change!”

“Sudden change” meant “Defense, despite this adversity, here’s an opportunity to make a big play and here your team win!”

So, instead of dwelling on the adversity, we dwelt on the opportunity.

Here’s the deal: See adversity as an opportunity, and in the midst of those opportunities you will experience Jesus in new life-giving ways that bring Him fame and you joy for the sake of our broken world! 

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” James 1:2-4 THE MESSAGE
Marinate on that, 

Pastor Derwin