Playing Through the Pain: Deflated预览

Sometimes our purpose takes us down a difficult road or at least a road that we didn’t plan on. Sometimes it requires us to surrender pieces of ourselves that we would much rather hold on to.

When I was just 28 years old I found myself standing next to my wife's hospital bed. She was hooked up to several monitors, and with each breath, I was reminded of what was at stake. All the money in the world couldn’t save her...and worst of all...I couldn’t save her. Facing the decision of what to do next was so incredibly painful. I had to decide if I was going to let my beautiful Ashley live the rest of her life as a vegetable or allow God to have complete control by allowing them to turn off the machines that were keeping her alive. It felt like every molecule of oxygen was being pressed out of my lungs by a massive weight, I was so deflated!

Have you ever felt deflated?

After David defeated the champion Goliath, he would never return to the field to watch his father’s sheep again. And even though a door to a new opportunity had finally opened wide enough for him to walk into his next season, he would face more difficulty on the other side. 

It didn’t take long for King Saul to become jealous of David’s success. He became so jealous that, as we see in 1 Samuel 19:1, he “urged his servants AND his son Jonathan to assassinate David.” 

Thankfully King Saul’s son, Jonathan, loved David and was able to talk some momentary sense into the king. But sadly, even with the wisdom of Jonathan whispering into Saul’s ears, it wasn’t very long before “Saul hurled a spear at David” (1 Samuel 19:10). Fortunately, David was able to escape by dodging out of the way. He fled into the night, leaving the spear stuck in the wall.

Have you ever felt like no matter what you do you can’t win? Or have you ever felt like all the odds are stacked against you?

Consider this. 

Could it be that God is teaching you to stand on your knees?

Could it be that God is preparing you for an opportunity that you would not and could not have planned for or imagined?

Could it be that even in your setbacks, God is setting His sights on your future?