Life's Obstacles or God's Opportunities?

Thomas Edison, while a boy, received a blow on his ear which impaired his hearing. What a tragedy! Later he felt his deafness was a blessing, for it was a tool by which he was saved from distractions. This allowed him to concentrate on his work, and out of that concentration emerged some of the greatest inventions of all times.

Victor Hugo, a literary genius of France, was exiled from his country by Napoleon. What a tragedy! Out of that period of exile arose some of his most creative works. When he later returned home in triumph, he asked, "Why was I not exiled earlier?"

Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, faced obstacle after obstacle in her life. However, on more that one occasion she confided, “I thank God for my obstacles, for through them I have found myself, my work and my God."

George Frederick Handel was at a low point in his life. His money was gone, and his creditors hounded him, threatening him with imprisonment. His right side became paralyzed, and his health deteriorated. For a brief time he was tempted to give up. In the midst of the darkness he picked himself up and began to do the only thing he knew to do--write music. Out of that despair he wrote the oratorio known as The Messiah, which many consider the greatest piece of church music in history.

The fiber tying Edison, Hugo, Keller and Handel together is that these people refused to be defeated by their problems. They saw their misfortunes and bad luck not as dilemmas to destroy them, but as opportunities to grow and develop in ways that otherwise would have been impossible. It happens to all of us at one point or another in our lives. There we are, plugging along, enjoying the ride when all of sudden our life hits an obstacle, be it physical, emotional, financial or spiritual. And just like that, it seems like everything we know has come to a grinding halt. WHAT HAPPENED!!??

In Psalms 119:67-71, David shares his own similar personal experience with this. When things are going great, and life is good, we can sometimes become a little conceited, self-indulgent, maybe even forgetful of God? It’s very easy to fall in love with the world when it’s telling us what we want to hear, even though others might be warning us not to listen. I mean, think about it. It’s easiest to wander from God when you have the world at your fingertips. But maybe, just maybe, God allows this to happen for a reason!

Every now and then we all need a reality check. And who better to provide that reality check than God? We might think we know what’s best for us, but if that were true, we wouldn’t find ourselves in the jams that we get ourselves into. In other words, we should leave our concerns to the disposal of God, seeing we know not what is good for us. Let’s face it, no matter how you look at it, God deals with us better than we deserve, amen!

So, when you hit those low points, or that dry season or two in your life, think of it as God wanting to make a positive and loving adjustment in your life. Even a race car has to come in for a pit stop every now and then during a race! God always wants the best for you. Sometimes he has to throw an obstacle out there to get you to stop! But you know what? We always come out better for it in the long run.

As David said, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” I couldn’t agree more. Remember this... “Don’t ever give up. Even when life gets so hard that it seems like there is no hope, there is hope. When everything else is stripped away and all that is left is you, God is there. He is holding you and wiping your tears. He will never leave you or abandon you. Just remember that he loves you. Please don’t ever give up.” –thanks to Kyle, a student

Much love,

Sheri