Welcome to the Paul Tripp podcast, where pastor and best-selling author Dr. Paul David Tripp connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life.

In today's episode, Paul wants to help you think through the global pandemic that we're all facing in light of the gospel.

Here's Paul helping you make sense of this coronavirus pandemic.

When you're going through a huge global pandemic, a crisis like what we're now facing,

it's important to realize, to understand that you never just suffer the trouble, you always

also suffer the way that you suffer the trouble.

Now you say, Paul, that's kind of confusing.

Well, here's what I mean by that.

Suffering is never neutral, because you always bring something to whatever it is you suffer.

You see, God created us to be meaning makers, to have this drive to make sense out of our lives.

I say this all the time that human beings made the image of God do not live life based on the facts of their experience,

but based on their interpretation of the facts. We're always interpreting.

That means your response to a situation like what we're in right now

is not based just on the facts of the situation, but on your interpretation of those facts.

There's another thing that I repeat quite often that no one is more influential in your life than you are because no one

talks to you more than you do. You are in a constant conversation with yourself.

And the things that you say to you, about you, about God, about the situations and relationships of life are profoundly important

because they're formative of your thoughts, your desires, and your subsequent actions, choices, and decisions.

So I want to say to you, be very aware of how you're interpreting this present moment.

You see, we know something.

We know that we are not just weak victims in the middle of a situation that is out of control. No, that's not true. That's not a proper

interpretation. If you interpret this situation that way, no wonder you would fall into

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