PEARL 10

Crisis Situations

Drug use. Kids who run away from home. Teenage pregnancy.

Debilitating injury. Suicide. A death in the family. A crippling disease.
Divorce. When a crisis hits our lives or the lives of our children, it can
send us reeling. Guilt, worry, anxiety, anger, and inconsolable grief are
some of the emotions that can stagger us.
One of the most damaging ideas we carry into a crisis situation is that
something must be done right now. This is seldom true. The character
denoting crisis in the Chinese language is a combination of the symbols
for danger and opportunity. We see the danger all too well, but we often
miss the opportunity.
The following four thoughts may help us deal with a crisis:

First,  crises, by  their   very    nature, are generally   temporary.  There

are usually better  times   ahead.  Knowing this,   we  can guard   against

over-involvement.

Second,  almost  no  crisis  must    be  dealt   with    immediately.    We

usually have    time    to  pray,   think,  and act rationally, and seek    advice

from    others  who have    had a   similar experience  or  are professionally

capable of  dealing with    it.

Also,   many    of  what    we  perceive    to  be  crises  are not crises  at

all.    The problem may have    been    going   on  for months  or  even

years   and becomes a   crisis  only    when    we  find    out about   it. So

we  need    to  adopt   the proper  mindset.    If  we  suddenly    discover

that    our child   has been    taking  drugs,  this    is  a   serious happening,