"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?" the doctor asked me. Personally, I would like for no news to ever start out with, "Do you want the good news, or the bad news?" As he laughs at the irony of the new tattoo on my foot (which says, "keep running"), he goes on to tell me the good news first. The x-rays show no sign of a stress fracture in either leg. Fantastic! I love the good news:)
Then comes the 'but'.... "but, contrary to what your foot now tells you, you have some nasty shin splints and you should actually STOP running and give your legs time to heal completely." I tried, to no avail, to convince him that I had already taken enough time off and given my legs plenty of opportunity to heal. Apparently, "my body is trying to tell me something...blah blah blah".
Setbacks suck. You can make a plan, prepare and work your butt off just to hit a wall, a road block, a detour. I have 6 weeks to finish training for the Myrtle Beach Marathon (that in my stubbornness I still registered for Monday after returning from the doctor). What now?
Does God put roadblocks up to turn us away- allow us to give up? Does He allow us to experience setbacks so that we question if what we are following is His will and plan for our lives? Are the detours there because we aren't listening and God wants to send us in a different direction?
To be honest, I think the answers to each of those questions could be different from person to person and circumstance to circumstance. I believe that sometimes God does ask us to give up on a plan we have made for ourselves...because we've made that plan for ourselves and not for His kingdom and glory. I also think that God sets up detours to remind us that we should always be looking to Him for guidance, for our next step and direction. I believe that God allows us to suffer and struggle through setbacks (although He is with us through every step) so that when we overcome them, He is the only one worthy of the credit.
I am still praying through this minor roadblock. Whatever direction He shows me, I will obey. Even if if means I don't run on February 18th. Yes, I will be disappointed if that is His answer. Yes, I will be embarrassed that I failed. Yes, I will feel like a quitter. 'BUT', I will have peace knowing that often times God changes our direction to prepare us for something bigger than we could've planned on our own.
"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are." ~Bernice Johnson Reagon
Wow..started this post a few days ago, but wasn't feeling it until tonight. After I finished writing, I went to my bible and devotional to find a verse to share. Opened my devotional to today's passage....
No matter which way it goes, God is still God and God is still good.
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