I waved Cal goodbye as my carpooling friend drove him off to morning preschool. Eagerly, I jumped on Fierce and peddled. Biking is more than just a physical exercise time. It’s a time that I experience communion with God. I filled my lungs with the crisp chilled air and enjoyed the colorful canvass stroked with varied shades of crimson, tangerine, acorn and sage.
The more I peddled, the more cobwebs cleared from my brain and even more, from my heart. It’s been a challenging week here at the Fink home. With one of the boys home sick each day last week, my father’s unexpected two night hospital stay (thankfully all three are all much improved), and one final straw that nearly broke this camel’s back.
The straw that everything in me wants to keep it all to myself.
There’s a spot where I periodically love to go, just to hang with God. In the middle of my ride, I pulled over.
(Beautiful, huh?)
I lingered and God spoke through song lyrics that played through my armband, “It’s not about me, it’s gotta be about You (God).” Yup, more tears. I just want to share my life with my three in-ies and that’s it. But that’s not what God asked me to do this morning.
The “straw” that I mentioned above isn’t a straw, but rather a lump and I found it in my breast.
After two doctor appointments, one ultrasound, and consultation with my inner three, I’m headed to the surgeon’s office this Friday. Which coincidentally is most likely the day I will celebrate seeing my name in print for the very first time as a ” published” author.
When I connected the two happenings to be on or near the same day, yeah…I felt sorry for myself. Then I saw what was really happening. The enemy trying to get me down and (after I cried) I made the choice to rise up. I saw two options: Will I choose to dance in the storm or hang alone in a pity party?
A couple we love and admire are going through an “opportunity” – their words, not mine. I would have used: trial, struggle, dark season – they choose, “opportunity”. Their powerful, faith-filled choice infected my choice today. Which leads to the real reason I wanted to type this post. For prayers – YES! For a pity party – NO. To encourage you to think of your current “trial” as an opportunity too? YES! YES! YES!
Whatever trial you face today, is it possible to think that it could be an opportunity? An opportunity to experience God in a new, deeper and more intimate way? What if there’s a medical care provider that needs to know of Jesus and by moaning, I miss that opportunity?
When Jesus corrected Peter old school style, in Matthew 16:23b (NLT), he said, “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” The approach to keep it all to myself is about “me” – the approach to step out and share my faith with others is about “Him”.
The distance from here to there is about You (Lord), not me. Will you say “opportunity” instead of “trial”?
