All of us go through hard times.

To some degree, we all have a level of crisis in our lives at any given time.

And with crisis comes confusion and, usually, chaos. But what if we looked at crisis differently? What if we were able to use the dire situations around us to learn about ourselves and adjust?

It’s easier said than done, I know. But the more difficult the situations arise, the more I have learnt to look inwards and upwards. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself during crisis.

  • What is closest to me?

If you honestly answer this question, you can see what you really value in life. You inevitably turn to the people, ideals and sometimes substances that are closest to you in times of crisis.

Who is the first person I want to call? Do I default to entertainment to escape? Am I holding on to dreams that won’t carry me through? What do I reach for to comfort myself? How am I treating those around me?

In answering questions like this, you will find out what you hold nearest to your heart when life is good. You can also have an opportunity to change those ‘defaults’ and draw closer to things that are going to benefit you in every season.

  • What do I believe about myself?

The most critical operations only happen when the body is opened up, vulnerable and exposed. When the circumstances around you are all up for question, the true substance of what you believe about yourself is revealed.

Insecurities will arise. In fact, most of the time they are all that you will be able to see in your situation. As much as the world around you may be shifting, you can actually control how you respond to it.

Do I really deserve to be employed? Am I meant to be successful? Do I deserve this diagnosis? Will I ever be able to prove myself? Is life really worth the effort? Am I a hopeless case?

When things get shaken, you can actually start adding truth to your identity and build yourself up. This can be extremely liberating for you. Crisis is normally the loss of control of your environment, but you actually still have control over how you respond to it. You can come out of a crisis stronger.

  • What do I believe about God?

Firstly, this question will be whether you believe there is a God or not. Crisis is where even those who have never considered God begin acknowledging him – whether it’s blaming him or calling out to him. Even if you have known God your whole life, the true state of your faith will be revealed through hard times. When the going gets tough, it normally contradicts what we have believed God is. All of a sudden God’s goodness is not very apparent.

Is God really loving if he has allowed this to happen to me? How can God be faithful when everything around me has fallen apart? If God were my provider, I would not be in this situation…

This kind of internal dialogue may sound heretical to the average person, but in crisis these are very real thoughts.

Crisis is where faith gets its substance. All of a sudden what you believe about God needs to become more important than what you see before you. When your ‘daily bread’ – the basics of life – is no longer consistent, you truly need to live off of the very words of God.

I have learnt to find clarity in the crisis by first and foremost addressing my belief about God. No matter what happens, God is the same. When everything else falls apart, the foundation of my whole life appears. Starting with what you have based your existence on, you will be able to rebuild your life. There is nothing more trustworthy than the character of God. Click on the link to find out more.