Disappointed but safe

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend and feel energized this morning.

This past Saturday my daughter and I had tickets to a baseball game and were so excited about our daddy/daughter date. My wife and two sons were away from the house, so this was a great opportunity for bonding. We both grabbed our baseball hats and she grabbed our stadium cushions. We prepared by having a wonderful meal of hot dogs and we were on our way…or so we thought.

As I stepped on the brake pedal to start my truck it went all the way to the floor. Immediately the ABS warning lights came on. I got out opened the hood and saw the brake fluid reservoir was down. “Ok, I can salvage this,” I said to myself. I pumped the pedal a few times and had pressure again…wonderful! So I drove 1 block and immediately could not stop, so I nursed the truck back to our house and broke the bad news to my daughter.

As we went back into the house she went to her room and within a few minutes I could hear her crying. I called her into the room with me and she sat on my lap. I told her that I was sad too and that we should pray and let God know that we were hurting. The prayer that came out of my daughter’s mouth was one of the most touching I have ever heard: “Dear Jesus, I’m very sad that I didn’t get to go to the baseball game. Thank you for giving me a daddy who wants to keep me safe.” Now if that doesn’t make you want to cry, I don’t know what would, but it also was a very teachable moment for me and it is that thought that I wish to convey today.

I can think of many times in my life where my plans have been interrupted, sometimes very painfully. In many of those instances I have later learned the reasons why, only to find out that I would have been devastated had the Lord allowed me to proceed. One of the greatest examples in my life occurred as I was first entering the ministry. I had been interviewing with a church in Dover, DE. Everything seemed like a perfect match. The church was vibrant and healthy, the pastor was also a former police officer and our philosophy of ministry was nearly identical. His health was failing and he wanted to groom a successor to take on the ministry over the next few years. My wife and I were ready to go, but during our last interview we all came away with a lack of peace. I ultimately took on my first pastorate at a much smaller church in Hoisington, KS. I learned a year or so later that the pastor in Dover had died a few months after our final phone conversation and that the church had disbanded. Had I taken that position we would have been stranded away from family and friends with no means of financial support.

God had to dash my hopes and dreams that day, but ultimately He was sparing me even greater pain and hardship. These things are reminders that we have a loving Father who sees much more than we do. He knows the events of tomorrow while we are confined to the present.

Psalm 4:8 (NLT)
I will lie down in peace and sleep,
for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

This week you may be experiencing events in your life that are disappointing and even devastating as you watch your hopes, dreams and aspirations fall by the wayside. Take comfort that God sees the pitfalls and dangers that you do not. Be thankful that He would rather see you disappointed than see you severely hurt.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.