I once heard someone once say, “It's all fun and games until you get punched in the face.” This "someone" was referring to a series of financial problems that had taken him from success to near pauper status. Life can hand us a series of unexpected disappointments like an unforeseen divorce, a business failure, a devastating health report, or bankruptcy, etc. When faced with such "punches," unfortunately many throw up their hands in defeat by allowing depression and a defeatist attitude to take up residence within themselves. It is so very important to remember at our worst times Almighty God has a plan for our lives and His plans are never derailed. In Jeremiah 29, the prophet Jeremiah warned his people of coming judgment and impending invasion. The nation of Judah was about to be 'punched in the face'. But God’s plans were undeterred, and Jeremiah reassured them of their eventual return and restoration to the land. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you… plans to give you hope and a future declares Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV). At the very time of trouble, when the enemy attempts to invade, or at the moment the doctor announces a poor prognosis, none of us can see beyond our crippling circumstances! Personally, just last week I was smacked in the face with my sister's cancer diagnoses. It took me by surprise. It took everyone by surprise including her. The prognosis doesn't look positive. It's important to plan and prepare for life, but if your plans have suffered a setback, if your present situation has shattered before your eyes, don't let discouragement overtake your mind. Your heavenly Father loves you. He knows all about it and His plans will unfold with grace and mercy, in His timing.
I can further speak from the seat of experience in this matter. Few of you know where I "was" and "where" I am now. I've had setbacks in my life like any of you ... I've been laid off. I've felt the pain of divorce. I've lost all my possessions and had to start over from ground zero. I've been homeless, literally hungry without any food, without health coverage, without a plan, feeling overwhelmed and lost. But nothing has been a bigger punch to my face than that of my physical neuropathy, the genetic nerve disease I inherited called CMT. You see, CMT never punched me in the face until I was in my 50's. I thought I was going to get through life and live gracefully to a ripe old age. My body let me down! Oh, I recovered from all those other things I listed because by nature I'm a fighter. I wasn't about to let problems overwhelm and defeat me. I fought and scraped my way out of everything with God's eye on me. But when CMT took my ability to drive a car, to ever walk again, to tie a shoe, loosen a bottle cap, or left me only able to type blogs with one finger, I knew this punch was bigger than me. I knew there was no way to restore the nerves where I would feel anything with my feet or hands again. Physically I was and am defeated. But my hope, my faith, my life does not rest in what my body can do or perform. It lies in the Almighty God Who has a plan for me, a plan to prosper and give me hope for the future! When I learned I had CMT, and what it meant for my future as it progresses through my body robbing me of balance and touch, I cried out to God, "What good am I now? I can't help people anymore. I love helping people. What will I do?" Came the voice, "WRITE." That's a blog for a different time, but I questioned God. "Write? Write what? I'm no author. I can't write!" Long story short, God simply wanted me to share in words what He has fed me throughout my walk with Him and occasionally share a personal life story that He arranges to touch people. Thus, Sunday Blogs began in 2011. Much to my amazement, I can proclaim this truth, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." However, there was an important lesson God revealed to me through this punch to the face And what a lesson!
My body may have let me down, but what the enemy meant for bad, God turned around for good. My CMT diagnosis was a blessing in disguise despite how that may seem from everything I wrote. Having this debilitating condition has allowed me a "time-out" from going my own way, it's been a much-needed shift in perspective, allowing me to see how I was really neglecting God by making my time MY TIME. I can honestly say this disruption has given me the opportunity to fulfill what God planned for me all along that I had neglected. The lesson has been a tough one, but one that opened my eyes to really understand that it is in the darkest of times we can see the smallest light of God. God was always there ... when I ignored His urging for me to write, when I spent all my hours of each day on me, each time I promised I would give Him tomorrow, but always failed. Selfishness separated me from God. I'm thankful there is nothing through which I can cheat God now. I have all kinds of time to converse with Him, praise Him, read His Word, listen to His voice, to study scripture, to write, and share my faith ....The essence of the Christian life is in obeying and worshipping God and helping others. God has given each of us important gifts for those purposes. We all have something to offer. Like the three men in 'Jesus Parable of the Talents, our gifts may be great or small. But no matter how big or small our talents, abilities or wealth, we are required to put them to good use. God gave them to us for the purpose of serving Him and serving other people. Even if we get knocked down, God can turn anything bad into good if we are willing to offer ourselves for His service.
Until He Comes,
-Pat-
No comments:
Post a Comment