“The Bottom Fell Out, and So Did I”

By Alexandra Copeland

Not too long ago, I saw a woman that I once knew, and she was a real go-getter. A single mom working two jobs to support her three children, she seemed to have it all together. Things took a turn for the worse when she lost her jobs back to back. Problems started to pile up, and because she had never developed a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, she felt as if she was fighting a losing battle. Her way of coping drove her to what developed into a full-blown addiction. Things continued to spiral downward drastically. She lost everything, including parental rights of her children. When I met her again, she was living in a shelter, and still refusing a relationship with God.

Trying to talk to her about the Lord Jesus Christ is challenging. In her mind, she was doing all the right things; she was taking care of her children, working hard, and treating people with respect. She said, “I’m a really decent person. I didn’t treat people unkindly. I did all the things I was supposed to do, but the bottom fell out, and eventually, so did I.” Because the circumstances that surrounded the loss of her jobs was not prevented, she felt that God had wronged her and refused to pray and ask Him for help. It was not my first time encountering a person who feels this way, and each time I do, I always think of Job in the Old Testament.

The Book of Job is believed to be the oldest book of the Bible. It bears the record of a man who by all accounts was righteous before God, yet he was plagued miserably by an array of the worse conditions of life. He went from being a very wealthy family man to one who lost all his children and possessions. He became very ill and pleaded with God for his life to be over. The icing on the top were his so-called friends who were miserable comforters. They accused him of doing all kinds of terrible things to bring the severity of his condition upon himself. Job was vexed and perplexed by his fallen state.

Trials and tribulations are a part of life, but they are not caused by our Heavenly Father. They are sent to buffet us by the devil. God has given us His Word to equip us, so that we stand strong in the faith of Jesus Christ when temptations, trials, and tribulations come our way.

Some Christians believe that God’s grace means that they will escape them, but Jesus Christ said in John 16:33(NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Our precious Lord and Savior assured us that the world can be a very challenging place. It’s rocky terrain, with jubilant highs and sometimes very devastating lows. The way to be still while God works everything out is to have peace in Christ. We cannot have peace any other way. 

God’s Will is that we are anchored in His goodness in our hearts and minds; even when our external situations and circumstances are troublesome. When we abide in the peace of God, we create an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can be at work. Our faith is energized in this atmosphere because we’ve made a choice to trust God rather than allowing any situation to rock us. 1John 5:4(NKJV) says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

Romans 8:7 tells us to embrace what the Spirit is doing in us. We can’t live a successful Christian life without walking, leaning, and being led by the Holy Spirit that indwells us. There are those who face tremendous difficulty in life, and feel as though the bottom has fallen out. They are under the erroneous belief that they have no other choice but to fall with it, but this isn’t the case. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ offers us hope, and Romans 5:5 tells us “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

It is impossible for God to fail, but we must have faith. This is a non-negotiable, because Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is also impossible to please God without faith. As His sons and daughters, pleasing Him should be the highest priority of our existence. Jesus Christ instructed us in Matthew 6:33 to seek Heavenly Father and His righteousness first. This means that we are to give Him all that we are, to pour our lives into Him. When we do this, our needs will be met. This is His promise to us, and if we’ll simply trust Him, He WILL perform it. ■

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.