Everyday with Jesus

Good morning, dear friends! What a glorious day the Lord has made! The air is filled with promise as the sky awakens in a breathtaking sunrise, and the birds announce the arrival of a new morning with their sweet melodies!

Early this morning, as I was preparing Tom’s lunch, he asked me to give thought to getting back in the pool later this evening. He reminded me that it has been a week, and while he is NOT pushing me, I really should consider it. “At this point”, he stated, “you are back to where you started {4 weeks ago}.” In the moment, what I heard in my mind was “setback”, “back to square one”, “all progress lost”. But, then, just as quickly as those negative thoughts came, they were replaced with “what if this is a ‘set-up’ for something greater?” And I thought, “okay, Lord! That’s today’s entry – Setback or Setup?”

Let’s begin by defining these two terms. First, setback: an unexpected delay or obstacle that temporarily halts progress. Versus setup: a positioning or preparation for a future event.

Both the setback and the setup disrupt our lives to one degree or another. The setback causes us to pause, or perhaps even completely stop what we are doing so God can arrange things the way HE needs them. The setup moves us forward in the direction God needs us to go.

Sometimes in life we take a wrong turn – a decision perhaps, that in the moment we were certain was the best course of action (and not necessarily a wrong choice or even a bad choice), however, not God’s BEST choice according to HIS plan. He must, then, interrupt our life in some way to stop our forward progress toward the WRONG destination so He can re-route us toward His perfect will for our lives. Once He gets us to stop (and yes, for some of us that will require pain – whether that be physical or emotional, or sometimes both). In my case, it required a fall resulting in a fractured foot that has me laid up for a time (the doctor says 6-8 weeks, but I know GOD has the final say in all of that). Trusting in HIS timing :) God knows, (as do many of you), that I am a “MARTHA”. I am on the go all the time. If He wants me to stop, He has to take drastic measures. You know, even as I write this, He is reminding me that He has been nudging my heart (my friend calls those ‘heart-tugs’) to stop for a while and really listen, take a day to just ‘be’. Well, I’ve been meaning to do that; however, procrastination has gotten me where I am today. I believe God thought, “Ok, my daughter, if you won’t listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice, I shall set you down Myself.” So here we are….and I will praise Him through this! He is a good, good Father, and I know His ways are ALWAYS good!

Do you know the story of Joseph? You can find it in Genesis chapters 37-50. I would encourage you to read through it. Joseph was the youngest of his brothers, sold into slavery (setback), thrown into prison (another setback), then rose to become the second-most powerful ruler (setUP) who would save his family from famine (God’s perfect plan fulfilled).

Just as God did for Joseph, so, too, He can do for me and for you! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) He has good things in store for us (Jeremiah 29:11) if we only allow Him to lead us to that end. What is God setting me up for? I do not yet know. However, I do know that I love and trust Him completely for all of my days. And, I will take this time of ‘setback’ to spend more time with Him, listening and reading His Word, and I know, when the time is right, He will show me what He is setting me up for :)

Grace and peace to you all this glorious Thursday morning!

In His Love,

Cindy