By B. Washington
In Charles Dickens’ Classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, he opens with this famous quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The statement creates immediate tension in the text by prompting the reader to consider a paradox that is often our reality.
Dickens was reflecting on European society. The wealthy and the aristocrats were doing well. They were flourishing, prospering, and enjoying life. However, the common people, the peasants as some would call them, were struggling. The working class faced high taxes and injustice through a system that did not treat them fairly. Some suggest that Dickens was proving that progress and disaster often walk hand in hand.
That quote often reminds me of the situation that Elisha encounters in 2 Kings 2:19: “Now the people of the city said to Elisha, ‘The location of this city is good, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.’” Other translations say the water is bitter and the ground is unfruitful. Everything looks good, but the city’s lifeline (the water) is bad.
I want to help us be honest with ourselves as believers and as leaders. The reality of life is that we can have a pleasant situation, but the water (the lifeline) is bitter, and nothing around us seems to be growing. We all know somebody, or perhaps we are the person whom everyone thinks our life is perfect. However, we are managing aging parents, the marriage is wearing thin, and it seems the kids are getting more and more out of control. Nevertheless, you have a nice house, all the bills are paid, and you are working at the job you dreamed about. It can be the best and the worst at the same time.
What we often fail to realize is that two things can be true at the same time. To change our reality, we often have to take a moment to assess where we are. Maybe we need to elicit help if available, perhaps re-prioritize, or slow down. Alternatively, as Elisha did, maybe we need to assess where the problem’s root is and start there. Life is this constant back-and-forth, where two things are happening at once, and we are trying to manage the outcome.
Though how we perceive our situation often determines whether we move forward or stay where we are. We are in the fire; is it designed to destroy me or refine me? We feel as if we are being crushed, but we are still going. Does that mean this is to show how strong we are?
There is more to unpack, but sit with this and consider: what can I control, what can I change, and what is God telling me about my specific situation. God always has a strategy to move us forward, but we have to be willing to trust God. If we trust God and follow God’s instructions, God can turn our worst into best and our best into even better.
