Trouble is inevitable. It has spawned the counseling ministry. Therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, support groups dedicate their lives to helping people deal with grief, addictions, abuse, and stress.
There are many solutions offered. You can pop a pill or uncork a bottle or take a vacation to escape. Others turn to more healthy approaches. What’s a Christian to do? Trust God.
Do you remember a time when your child got a sticker or splinter in her finger? At first, they try to pull it out with their fingers or teeth, but they can’t. You notice and offer to dig it out for them. At first, they refuse. They know it is going to hurt if you get a needle and dig in their finger for the splinter.
You ask them to believe that what is painful will relieve their pain and that what looks dangerous is their only safety. You ask them to trust that hurting the finger is the only way to make it stop hurting. It doesn’t make sense, but you are their parent. They know you would not lie to them. You love them and want what’s best. So, against all the evidence, full of emotion, they trust you to do what is best for them.