Moving From "Why Me?" To Action by Chris White

Patrick Carr was the biographer of music legend Johnny Cash and knew him personally for more than 25 years.  In a recent book about Cash, he relates a story of one of his infamous drug binges.  Apparently after about 3 days of bing  Of course the flashlight dies in the blackness of the cave and feeling hopelessly lost, Johnny Cash decided to lie down in the cave and wait for death to overtake him.  This went on for a few hours and then Cash said he heard God speak very directly to his mind: “Get up and search your way out of the dark.  Dying is not your choice but mine and this is not the day!”.  Obviously Cash listened and found his way out, eventually kicking his drug problem of many years.  Having battled depression off and on for many years, I could really relate to this story.  Sometimes you do feel like you are lost in a dark cave and death would be a welcome event.  God didn’t rescue him.  God told him to get up and find his own way out of the darkness.  I have no doubt that God blessed him in his efforts, but the point is some things in our lives can’t get better unless we put forth some work.  A great piece of advice I learned a number of years ago: asking God why something has or is happening to you almost never brings you peace.  Asking God what you can do about it and doing it almost always does bring peace for it is action that absorbs anxiety not paralysis.  Are you stuck with a chronic issue or protracted trial?  Quit dwelling on the why and ask God to help you find the what, then go do it.

ing and feeling disgust for himself, Cash wandered into a cave with many tunnels and a small single flashlight.