Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of an awesome soul, Pastor Greg Rohlinger. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday that he died; in other ways, it seems like forever ago. Emotions are tricky like that sometimes, especially grief. As a tribute to him on this sad day, I’d like to share one of the many things he taught me.
Not by accident, Greg was in my head last week. I’ve since been thinking of how to honor him and his impact on my life in some way. Here goes.
Our God is a God of solutions. When it comes to a bad situation in your life, you have a choice: Are you going to look at it like it’s God’s fault or God’s problem? When you blame God and say it’s his fault, you make yourself a victim. This stance feeds inactivity and hopelessness and gives the Devil a perfect opportunity to intervene. Yes, God is in control of everything, so we might argue it’s his fault; but, guess what, he’s in control of everything, which means it’s his problem to fix.
Greg used to tell a story about how the tires of his family’s vehicles were slashed more than a dozen times in his ministry career. One year, I believe it was four times or more! The reasons are unimportant; he knew it was just Satan at work. His thinking was, “Hey, God, this is your car that you’ve blessed us with, so if you want it to be fixed, you’ll make it happen.” The stories of God’s responses deserve their own blog, but suffice it to say that the tires always got replaced or repaired.
So, here’s another example of the importance of perspective and choice. As Lauren Daigle says in one of my favorite songs about the presence of God, “There’s not a place where I go you’ve not already stood.” What will your choice be? Play the victim or be the conqueror for an almighty God?
Love and hugs to the Rohlinger Family today and all of us whose lives were touched by Pastor Greg. Greg, even though you’ve been gone for a year now, your words still impact me in awesome ways. I miss you, but your wisdom lives on.
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