A primer on problems

We all have problems. If you don't have a problem, don't worry, you will!

We don't have to find problems, problems find us.

It's so important that we solve the problems that we are dealing with. Someone once wrote: "The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."

What are we to do with our problems?

Well, of course we should pray.

Some people in the midst of a problem think that they are too busy to pray.

The top 10 reasons you are too busy to pray today:

1. You wake up feeling rested, then realize your alarm should've gone off an hour ago.
2. Your spouse is away on a two-day business trip that's lasted all week.
3. None of the clean clothes you were able to find match.
4. Your teenager shaved…the left half of his head.
5. Your bills are due, and your toddler hid the checkbook.
6. A strange fluid is dripping from your car.
7. You accidentally delete your quarterly report ten minutes before a meeting with your boss.
8. You're in charge of games for the church youth night tonight.
9. Your dog is throwing up.
10. Your toilet's overflowing, but at least you found the checkbook.

We are to pray, but let me also suggest or give to you a primer on problems.

Here's a great primer on problems:

Define what a real problem is.

A problem is something you can do something about. If you can't do anything about it - it's called a predicament. A predicament is something that must be endured.

When people treat a predicament as a problem,k they become frustrated and angry or even depressed.

If someone loses their job that's a predicament. There is nothing they can do about that. What they need to do is start working on solving the problem of finding a new job.

Anticipate problems

Problems will happen - every day of our lives. We must expect problems. Not in a sour, negative, morbid way. But expect problems.

Someone once wrote, "a problem not anticipated is a problem. A problem anticipated is an opportunity."

Face the problem

Don't flee it, forget it or fight it, but face it. Look at the problem realistically.

Evaluate the problem

Someone once wrote, "There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see, yet small enough to solve."

There is a right time and a wrong time to solve a problem. Seek out that right time. Be patient when implementing a solution. Some problems take time to solve.

Embrace each problem as a potential opportunity

Problems can lead us to greater opportunities if we let them. They can push us into moving forward.

Think of people who have bigger problems

When a friend gets cancer or loses a loved one, then we are reminded of how petty our issues are.

Writer James Agee recalls how he once struck up a conversation with an impoverished elderly woman in the heart of Appalachia during the Great Depression. She lived in a tiny shack with dirt floors, no heat, and no indoor plumbing.

"What would you do," he asked, "if someone came along and gave you some money to help you out?"

The old woman thought for a moment and answered, "I guess I'd give it to the poor."

List all the potential ways of solving a problem

Every problem not only has A solution, but many times, many solutions.

Determine the best three ways to solve the problem

Refocus on your purpose, your mission, the plan and purpose that God has for your life.