“Meaningful Mishaps”
Have you ever wished for something only to have it play out in a way you never pictured? You’ve probably heard the phrase, “be careful what you wish for….” That’s the scenario my family found ourselves in while traveling.
Our trip was filled with mountains that seem to reach Heaven, snowflakes the size of your hand and adventurous snow skiing downhill. We laughed hard and slept harder. As the last day of the trip arrived our family wished our stay did not have to end. 24 hours later, a massive blizzard occurred that delayed every flight from California to Texas. We found ourselves stranded with no available flights, a lack of clean clothes and pure chaos in the airport. Our youngest daughter keenly blurted out, “Well we wanted another day, it just didn’t come the way we thought!”
Her words reminded me of our prayers at times. So often we pray for specific circumstances or detailed scenarios only to realize God answers in a completely different way. If we aren’t careful our prayer can be answered without even realizing it because we are so fixated on how we expect it to play out.
-Sometimes difficult circumstances draw perspective and gratitude from within us.
-Sometimes illness reminds us of the beautiful gift of love within a community.
-Sometimes challenging relationships open our eyes to unhealthy patterns and form specific prayers.
A perspective, guided by God, is always key and choosing to focus on who God is helps this outlook.
Often, our family will choose an attribute of God to focus on and back it up with a story to show why. Lately, an attribute of God that has been near my heart is ‘creative.’ We serve a creative God that reminds me to trust in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Reflecting on prayers and opening my eyes to how He is working brings assurance that all things are being orchestrated by Him.
As we waited 48 hours for the next available flight, missed work a few more days and kept reapplying deodorant my husband began to comment about things he was grateful for. Our children followed his lead and found much joy, humor and perspective in the mishap given. Thank you, Lord, for even the small, but meaningful moments You offer.
What mishap is occurring in your life? What attribute of God can you choose to focus on to gain better perspective? Ask God to help you see what He is doing and trust in how creative He can be.
