Flip the Script-A Personal Challenge

God has been challenging me a lot in the area of my perspective lately. It can be natural for me to initially view things with a slightly melancholic twist. Whether it is a situation in my life, a problem another person is having, or something I am unsure about, I struggle with a first response that sees things as more of a “problem” than an “opportunity”.

In the last few years God’s been putting his finger on this area of my life. He’s been challenging my thinking, using difficulties I’ve faced to improve and mature me-rather than to deplete me. He’s allowed me to go through trials, on large and small scales, and used them to shape and mature me in my faith and in my calling. He’s taken my initial “melancholic” reaction to things and allowed me to see his hand in using a “problem” as something to bring about positivity and change in an area.

Rather than seeing issues that arise as problems, He has been helping me to seize them as opportunities. Yes, when things come up they can be frustrating, and I may feel an immediate sense of annoyance, anger or discouragement. However, He has been challenging and retraining my thinking to begin see every PROBLEM as an OPPORTUNITY for growth and improvement.

It is through God’s graces that we mature in our faith-and often, it’s the “issues” we encounter that are his greatest tools. I love how many leaders in history have learned and applied this lesson-saying:

•   “Opportunity? Often it comes in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat."  Napoleon Hill

• “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” Sir Winston Churchill

• "We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems." Anonymous
•  “Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes” Henry J Kaiser

The last quote by Henry J Kaiser is definitely my favorite. I’ve found that when “problems” present themselves it’s actually just a God given tool to get me to work in an area. Sometimes a problem highlights an area I need to work on within myself, or they may highlight an area where our family needs to get better or make a change. Other times, God uses problems in areas of a team or system where growth and discipleship needs to take place. Whatever it may be, there is always a chance to get better, stronger, and wiser in every problem we face.

The Bible tells us to essentially CELEBRATE our problems, saying in James 1:2-4 “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Today I am reminded that the “problems” I face are not necessarily “problems” at all. Rather, when I submit them to God and seek wisdom from him, they are actually OPPORTUNITIES he’s using to give me MORE than I already have (and not to be lacking in anything). So today I am challenged to flip the script-and see a problem as a tool in God’s hands to make something even better.

Divine Appointments

“Blessed are those who listen to Me, watching daily at my doors,waiting at my doorway. For those who find me, find life and receive favor from the LORD.” (Proverbs 8:34-35)

Today I felt the blessing, favor and love of the Lord over my life. I was reminded today that he orchestrates my steps and that He is divinely protecting me-without me fully realizing it.

During a recent breakfast meeting I’d had with an incredible volunteer couple from our church, I started to feel uncomfortable and a bit of burning and itching. I was hoping it was just due to the new sunscreen I’d used for the first time that am. I ignored it, trying to focus on the conversation at hand, but the feeling did not go away. After a little bit my arms got itchy, and, I could not resist scratching. I looked down and there were red and white blotches all over my skin. The couple I was meeting with asked if I was feeling ok, to which I responded “Is my face kind of red?” They said yes, and so were my chest and arms. It was obvious I was having SOME kind of allergic to something; I just didn’t know what. They then asked a very unusual question which was “Are you allergic to Niacin?” My first response was an immediate “No” as to be quite honest I didn’t know what Niacin was or if I was taking it. They asked if my health drink had Niacin in it and I shared it couldn’t be that as I’d been drinking this for months and never had a reaction. I then went to the next logical things-either the Sweet and Low I’d used in my coffee, or my new sunscreen. Eventually it went away and I haven’t thought anything of it since.

This morning I began to experience the same sensation as before, but much more severely.  I tried to keep focused on working, but, the burning was moving at a frightening speed and pain level throughout my entire body was pretty bad. After a few minutes of feeling like my entire body was on fire I went downstairs to ask my husband if I looked funny. He said I looked red, and gave me two Bendaryl right away.  To pass the time but be near someone else, I began to open the mail. FINALLY, after a year of frustration and attempts at getting our health care worked out, I had the response for details of our recently approved insurance in my hands!

I cheered in excitement but began to realize my level of discomfort was starting to make me nervous. I went upstairs to check in the mirror and realized my ENTIRE body was bright red, blotchy, and tingling with a vengeance that made me scared. I started to notice a shortness of breath that was settling in, and, started to panic about whether my throat was closing in on me.  I yelled down to John that we were going to the hospital. Once in the car I began to google “allergic reaction to Niacin” based off of my previous conversation with Frank and Char. This is what I found:

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Niacin:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); black, tarry, or bloody stools; changes in vision (eg, cloudy or blurred vision); fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; flu-like symptoms

I realized right then that the Lord was directing my very footsteps, and, that I was indeed having all of the obvious symptoms of an allergic reaction to Niacin. 

When I got home, however, I realized a few things:

•  God knew, before I did, that something like this was going to happen

• ·God set up the timing of my first reaction and gave the Spencers the insight to ask as to whether I was allergic to Niacin (of all the things!)

• God orchestrated the very DAY and TIME I’d receive my medical information  

• God used this incident to get me to stop using the products/vitamins that I was allergic to (and yes, they were the ones that had Niacin in them)

 He showed me, yet again, that he was watching over me.This was a great reminder that often he is working behind the scenes, orchestrating the details, without us even realizing it is Him. We serve such an amazing God, I am so thankful today (even if I had to turn in my “I’m not allergic to anything” card!)