UnexpectedSample

Whether we ever understand why or why not, the only way through any unexpected shock is through. No matter how much we wish we could go around a situation, under it, over it or be delivered from it, there are times God wants to walk us through a process, because that is what’s best for us. 

The challenge then becomes choosing not to allow the enemy to use these unplanned events to rob us of life. The enemy wants to derail our lives from the plans and purposes of God—if not for a lifetime, then at least for a season. He wants to pull our focus away from God’s promises and divert it to our crisis. He wants to paralyze us in the present, and to veil our vision and hope for our future. 

Moving through whatever you’re facing isn’t about merely surviving until it’s over, and then numbing your way through the rest of your life. Moving through is about continuing to live a life of purpose and passion—of always moving forward, never losing sight of our objective—no matter how devastating the unexpected is. For me, facing cancer renewed my resolve: While I know that I will live forever in eternity, I choose to live fully alive here on earth and make every second count for God and his kingdom purposes until the day I die.

I was still a mother to my children, so I was not going to let the news of cancer mentally bench me from parenting my girls. I was still a wife to Nick, and I would not allow this news to take me away emotionally. I wanted to be present in every moment we had. I still wanted to keep leading our ministry and make every one of my days on the planet count for the glory of God.

Cancer was a condition I had, not who I was. I didn’t want one unexpected condition to define my overall condition, so I was not going to let it set the tone of my home, derail my faith, or stop me from living in every moment God had for me. I couldn’t. But that decision was an hourly—and sometimes moment-to-moment—fight in my mind and will to stay on point. Regardless of what I was going through, I was still a child of God, a mother, a wife, a teacher, a friend, and a daughter—and I had to fight to stay focused.

Adapted from Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure by Christine Caine. Copyright © 2018 by Christine Caine. Reprinted with permission of Zondervan Publishing. All rights reserved.