UNWELCOMED SURPRISES

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.

-Isaiah 30:18

The world is full of surprises – some of which are not welcomed. A position opens up in your company, and you express an interest in it. But when your boss interviews you, he says management has decided to no longer fill that position, but to eliminate your job as well!

Your phone rings one evening after you have retired. “Who could be calling at this hour?” you wonder. It is a friend telling of a death in the family.

How do you handle unwelcomed surprises? Psychologists call it “Coping.” Others say with resignation, “That’s life!” When unexpected surprises come our way, we fight them and become bitter, or we reach out for the grace of God and become better because of what we have endured.

What is this gift called “grace?” It is God’s help that enables you to cope with unwelcomed surprises of life.

Long ago, the Apostle Paul faced many unwanted surprises, yet he welcomed them. In responding to what he called “A thorn in the flesh” Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

When unwelcomed surprises confront you, learn about God’s grace and you will also find strength to cope. It’s worth discovering.