There's a story I love to tell (I have no idea who is the original author so I make my apologies to them) which goes like this: There once was a little girl who was really optimistic. She never had a care and was always sure that everything would turn out wonderfully. This really concerned her parents as they felt that, sooner or later, life was likely to deal her a crushing blow of "reality". They became so concerned that they felt the only responsible thing to do would be to help cure her. When the little girl asked for a horse for Christmas and then began telling everyone she knew that she was so excited because she just knew she was getting a horse for Christmas they felt their opportunity had arrived. On Christmas morning the little girl's excitement could hardly be contained. She began opening gifts, anticipating the moment when she would get her horse. Her parents looked on with heavy hearts as she opened the gift that would teach the lesson. The little girl pulled back the wrapping and revealed...a box of horse poop. "Horse poop!!" she shouted joyfully. "There's got to be a horse around here somewhere!!"
"There's gotta be a horse around here somewhere..."
I really believe that as children of God we can live as this little girl. After all, His promise is that His plans for us are good. (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28) Sometimes it's really hard for us to believe there's a good plan when we encounter difficulty/pain/challenges in life. These moments are really about faith. Is this "poop" the end of the story, or is it just evidence that there's got to be a horse around here somewhere?
I had one of those "Oh, crap!" moments today. Things didn't work out the way they should and it should have been really simple. Resolving the problem meant going out at nine in the evening--and I'm almost dysfunctional after 8 p.m. on a good day. As I headed out, I had this stirring in my spirit that God had a plan. I began to pray for a Divine Appointment, specifically asking Him to give me an opportunity to encourage someone tonight. And He did!! In retrospect, it's all so obvious that the silly glitch of the afternoon was just a setup to put me in the right place at the right time tonight.
Looking for the "horse" is key to living with a peace that passes all understanding--something that should characterize a child of God. So, if you're encountering some poop in life, I'd like to encourage you to look for the horse--it's got to be around here somewhere! God has promised and He always keeps His word.
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7
For the record, I encounter a LOT of poop in my life--but not the metaphorical kind ;)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that passage from Philippians.
Hahahahha, Hillary!
ReplyDeleteIn response to your post, Michelle, hurray for horses! ... and for cleaned up c _ _ _. Glad to hear it all worked out.