My Life is Ruined! Is It?

How many times have I said those words. Are my days over? Is my life finished? What is the worst thing I can imagine happening? Are my feelings caused by betrayals by my friends, or by people I work with or even worse, by my employer? Anyone can find a reason to feel everything they loved and worked for or believed in has been compromised. Consider how Jesus must have felt when one of the most important persons in his group of hand picked followers turned traitor and sold him to his enemies.
Did he know it was going to happen? Did he know the one he was going to choose to lead the pack when he left would deny him. I don’t know that; but I know he refused to back down, to give up, to condemn those who betrayed him and refused to admit knowing him.
Jesus did not give up; he did not give in; he was plenty hurt not only physically but also broken hearted. Like Jesus I know that no one can keep me down unless I let them. Jesus went down but he refused to give in; to stay down; to fail to rise up. Jesus knew that no human being would ruin his life; he would not let them.
Those horrible things that happen to us–to me– can only ruin me if I let them. Sure they hurt, certainly they are sinister forces of evil but I will not let them take over my thoughts and actions. They are a part of living life along with the good and happy things.
I will not quit. I will not give in to evil persons. I will look around at the good things in my life. I will not quit; I will press on for victory in standing up for what I believe in. If I quit who will be the REAL reason for my defeat? If I press on and win who is the only one who can claim the credit for my victory?