Reframe the Problem

Pastors, you have been confronted by many problems during the pandemic. So many changes have been imposed upon you.

Here’s a helpful thought: it is all too easy to accept your first impression of a matter as the truth about the matter. If you think a situation is a problem, then that is what you will see and you will go to work to fix the problem. Your implied goal is to return to normal and then carry on as you did before. In many cases, this is the appropriate way to handle a problem. However, there are cases where the attempt to fix something will prevent you from seeing the need to change or the opportunities that the so-called problem has opened up for you.

Some things to think about when confronting a problem are:

• By fixing this, am I just delaying the inevitable change I will someday have to make?
• If this problem could not possibly be fixed, how would I recover from the setback?
• What good is hidden in this problem?

The best thing to do when a problem arises is to reframe the situation from a problem to an opportunity. It’s a common truism that necessity is the mother of invention. A problem needing a solution can serve as the stimulus that drives us to creative new opportunities.

The problem we all face as I write this is the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated issues of vaccines and public health rules. This post from January 21, 2021 explores the gifts that God has given us in the current disruption.