Recognizing Hidden Gifts
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
Can something we view as a stressor in the moment actually be a gift?
That's a question I've been asking myself this week a lot after an experience I had lately that certainly didn't feel like a gift at the moment. Here's what happened.
I had driven from my home town of Timmins with my mom to visit my sister, my brother in law, and their incredible kiddos on New Year's Day. They live in a Northern Ontario community that's about an hour and fifteen minutes of a drive from my front door to theirs. We had an amazing visit, some quality family time and when it was time to go, I ventured out on one of the area's highways to start my journey home. While travelling down this one lane highway in the pitch darkness with only my SUV headlights to guide my way I looked down at my dashboard and noticed the temperature gauge was high. Like way too high. Like time to pull over and shut down this engine fast high. So I eased off the side of the road, which was more road than it was side because of the high snowbanks, and tried to figure out what to do. I knew from years of listening to my brother, who is a mechanic, the one thing you don't do when your vehicle is overheating is drive any further. Not unless your idea of a good time is blowing the head gasket. So I popped the hood, put on my four way flashers, and tried to come up with a plan of what to do.
Not Impressed By The Turn Of Events
Now in that moment, in the cold, in the darkness, with fear of being hit by the many speeding transport trucks flying by me uncomfortably close to my disabled vehicle, if you were to ask me what I thought about my present circumstances I would have told you I wasn't feeling too good about it at all. No, at that moment I was completely stressed and wasn't too impressed by the turn of events.
Even though I was able to get a roadside rescue from my sister and brother-in-law, who brought my mom and I back to their nice warm home and gave us a place to sleep for the night, that feeling of being stressed and unimpressed with my circumstances continued as I called one tow truck driver after another who wouldn't come out, before finding one who would the next day but only at an exorbitant price. And it continued as I tried to sleep on a recliner only to have the family's pet cat decide it would be a fun game to wake me up by pouncing on me every time I'd drift off to sleep.
Come morning though, I got a different perspective on my circumstances as my nephews and niece woke up and were so intensely happy to find out my mom and I had not left town after all. There were hugs and jumping up and down and a lot of excitement all around. In fact my nephew looked at me and said something I don't think I'll ever forget. He said: "it's a miracle!"
You see what I viewed as the worst circumstances and a major stressor, he saw as a gift. And you know what, it wasn't too long before I agreed with him.
An Important Perspective
So often when things happen to us we assume it means we have bad luck or the world is against us, when really when we take a step back and take a closer examination to see the gift in our circumstances.
After all, I was safe, a breakdown is not an accident. I was with my family and because of this breakdown, the moment I ditched my bad attitude, we were able to have the best time together. Because of my sleep issues it had been years since I had slept overnight at their home, so this was time I wouldn't have otherwise gone out of my way to plan. But that time together with my family was certainly worth the inconvenience and even the cost of what happened. That moment in time was precious, which isn't that what gifts truly are?
That's the perspective I had after my nine year old nephew opened my eyes to what really matters. I wonder what perspective heaven has on what happened?
The Question of Why?
Did my car break down at that spot on the highway because had I proceeded to drive ten more kilometres, I could have been in an accident that changed everything and this was God's way of protecting me?
Did my car break down because it would put me in the car garage at a certain moment in time when I would have the opportunity to witness to someone who I otherwise wouldn't have crossed paths with?
Did my car break down just because it's a car and breakdowns happen and this is an opportunity for my faith to grow in how I handled it?
I don't know the answer to any of those questions, but I do know this: nothing that happens in our lives puts us out of reach of God's plan for our lives and God's plans for our lives are always good. As Romans 8:28 reminds us, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
That doesn't mean all things are good, as in, I'm a Christian so bad things will never happen to me. No, it means, God takes all the good and all the bad we experience and works it for our good. It doesn't say He will always explain how, but we do know we can trust Him at His word.
Because life doesn't always go the way we plan. We all experience moments when things seem to fall apart or take unexpected turns, and it's easy to get frustrated, upset, or disheartened. In those times, we can feel like the worst thing possible is happening to us. But what if we could take a lesson from my nephew and learn to see these moments differently? What if the struggles, the delays, and the hardships aren't just inconveniences, but actually gifts from God?
Looking At Joseph's Example
Take, for example, the story of Joseph from the Old Testament. Joseph's life is a perfect picture of how God can turn a series of frustrating, painful, and unfair circumstances into something that serves His greater purpose. Sold into slavery by his brothers, wrongfully accused of a crime, and thrown into prison, Joseph could have easily believed that everything and everyone was working against him. Yet, in Genesis 50:20, after God had elevated him to a position of great authority in Egypt, Joseph declared to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” What an incredible perspective. Joseph's story teaches us that even when life seems to go off-course, God is still in control, and what might look like a setback could actually be a set-up for something far greater.
Paul, too, understood this principle. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, he says,
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
Paul faced constant opposition, suffering, and even imprisonment, but he found hope in knowing that God's plans would ultimately prevail. Even in his trials, Paul saw God's purpose at work.
What Might God Be Up To?
So the next time we encounter a frustrating or seemingly pointless circumstance, let's remember to stop and ask ourselves what might God be up to in this moment?
Sometimes we can clearly see the reason or recognize the trial as an opportunity for growth. Sometimes the gift becomes obvious in an hour or a day or two. Other times we won't see the reason, but that's when we need to cling to and trust the author of our lives now more than ever.
Because we can trust Him. We know that He loves us and His plans for us are good. They might appear bad in our limited vision at the moment, but when God is in control we can trust that not for one moment of our lives, are we going to stray from the plans He has for us.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6
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