PREPARATION

Don's posting on Facebook grabbed my attention, "I want to live a life that can't be summarized by a bumper sticker slogan, and is bigger than a 2- by 3.5-inch business card. I wonder if that's possible these days."

It got me thinking, "Quick answers are easy and talk is cheap!" But, the Creator says, "It's not only possible--it's part of the plan."

Even in the middle of what felt like rejection and abandonment, God surprised his discouraged "Old Testament" people with these words, "I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

God's plans cannot be summarized on bumper stickers or embossed on business cards. His gifts and His calling are irrevocable, but they are not always obvious and predictable. On too many occasions we miss the moment, close our eyes to the God of mercy and grace, and retreat into a self-imposed corner of fear and doubt. Hope and future seem like wishful thinking. Life shrinks and sadness looms. But wait, this moment of darkness will not last forever, it will be transformed. God is still calling! HE is still working things for your good, even if we only see it in the rearview mirror.

By the way, rearview mirrors are never focused on us. That may be the lesson.

Last year, I suggested that one of your "must-reads" for 2009 should be a book titled, "The same kind of different as me." This year I want you to read the sequel, "What difference do it make?" (You can order it at the FCN Bookstore.)

INSPIRATION

From "What difference do it make?" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore:

Carina, a young mother of four, was getting more and more forgetful, so just for peace of mind she went to see the doctor. Peace is not what she found.

The CAT scan indicated Carina had an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) on the right side of her brain. It was sort of like an aneurysm; if it ruptured she could die instantly. Surgery was strongly suggested, but her heart was filled with doubt and fear and "why me?"

After weeks of searching and prayer, Carina selected Don Woodson, a noted neurosurgeon in Phoenix, to perform the operation, but she still longed to hear from God.

On the day before the surgery Carina asked a nurse, "What kind of surgeon is Dr. Woodson? What's his reputation here?"

The nurse answered, "When Dr. Woodson is in surgery, it's as if God is using his hands."

Peace filled Carina's heart. That was her sign.

After successful surgery, a friend brought a stack of books for Carina, one of them was "Same kind of different as me." As a favor to her friend, she began reading.

"I began to laugh to myself, wondering if I went through all that I did just to get me to sit down and read this amazing true testimony," she said. "It went to my hands, through my eyes and straight to my heart!"

The trial by fire of illness had drawn Carina and her husband closer, and this season of fear had drawn her whole family closer to each other and closer to God. God had given her a gift. Never again would she take for granted the gift of giving life to others, serving as the hands of God. Now she has a story worth telling and retelling. It's her "why" story.

Carina's pastor said, "Sometimes you can only understand the why of things when you see them in the rearview mirror."

MOTIVATION

Check your rearview mirror. You've got a story to tell. Do you see it?

God has plans to give you peace and hope. When the time is right, HE will do whatever is necessary to open your eyes and bless your days.

He's done it before. He will do it again. Share the story, unwrap that testimony to HIS mercy and grace. Keep your story alive; share it! Share it with me--Click here.