GOOD Opportunities...

Wow!  Did I pass up a GREAT opportunity first thing this morning… Yep, I was presented with a GREAT opportunity to get frustrated and discouraged as I was helping my wife to partake of her breakfast… but you know what?  I chose to do the best thing I could at that moment and bit my lip and KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT!  But let me backup for a moment before I go on…

I awoke on this sunny Monday morning with a bounce in my step and an encouraged heart.  I had purchased a new book on faith for my Kindle on the previous day and had read a couple of chapters before I turned the light out for the night.  So all those thoughts of the faithfulness of God swirled through my brain for the entire night, and as I said, I awoke with a very optimistic view for the day.  That optimism continued as I got Piper up and she proceeded to have a pretty easy time swallowing her various morning medications.  All was looking good… until we got to her breakfast drink… what I jokingly call her “Cocoa-Mocha-Cinna-Boost!”*  

She swallowed the first mouthful without effort and then stopped!  For a few moments there, I was getting more on me and down the napkin in front of her than was going in… and if you know me and/or have been reading this blog for a while, then you know that I CAN’T STAND STICKY FINGERS!  Well… this was beyond just sticky fingers… it was a mess!  So, as I was about to stand up, say a few things that were not very “faith-filled” and throw the chocolate soaked napkin across the room, I suddenly thought better, sat down, paused to compose myself and quietly began to mutter a few positive scriptures and sing “♫ The Joy of the Lord is my strength! ♪ ”

Then I figured that it would be a good time to take the dog out to take care of his morning needs while I caught a moment to revive in the crisp 22 degree weather outside!  And you know what?  It was a GOOD decision!  When we came back in, I went back over to my chair next to my wife and proceeded to give her more breakfast which after a moment’s hesitation, she began to swallow again… and she ended up consuming more than she did throughout the entire previous day!

So… let’s reflect for a moment… What happened there?  Well, like I said earlier, I passed up a perfectly GOOD opportunity to give into a momentary set back and give in to fear and discouragement while opening up the door to doubt in the Word of God doing exactly what God says He will do in our situation!  

You remember how the master deceiver, the devil, approached Eve in the garden don’t you?  The first thing he did was to get her doubting what God had told her and Adam.  Her acceptance of that doubt caused her to participate in a course of action that changed their lives (as well as every generation since then) forever!  …and that is not what I want to be remembered for when it comes to writing the history of Jim and Piper Berruto!

So… by not yielding to that perfectly legitimate (in the world’s eyes) opportunity to get upset, feel sorry for myself and say a few things that might make me feel better (for about 1 minute!), I chose to stick with the encouraging, life-giving, restorative and reviving power of God’s Word… but let me tell you… it wasn’t easy… there was a whole lot of ME that I had to fight through!

In speaking about God’s Word, Psalm 119:50 in The Message Bible tells us that “These words hold me up in bad times; Yes, your promises rejuvenate me.”  The King James Version declares “This is my comfort in my affliction: for the word hath quickened me.”  The word translated “quickened” or “rejuvenate” in The Message paraphrase means “to revive, to nourish, to recover, repair or restore, to save or be whole.” (Strong’s)

When I look at that meaning, I understand that this is exactly what happened for me this morning!  Instead of getting upset and letting the morning’s experience be my guide, I decided to default to the Word that Piper and I have been standing on since that first report we received concerning the results of the brain scans they took in 2007.  F.F. Bosworth in what I have come to see as the definitive book on Biblical healing “Christ the Healer” declared that “I am determined to base my doctrines on the immutable Word of God and not on phenomena or human experience.” (Christ the Healer, pg 186)

I have come to learn by personal experience that God’s Word is the one source of restoration, recovery, vigor, preservation and repair that I CAN and MUST depend on!  It is too easy to give up when the times get tough… and my wife and I have come too far to trust in anything else but His Word that brings us peace, joy and strength.

How about you?  

Have a great week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Whose Word can I expect to depend on throughout all the ups and downs of my daily life?”

*It’s a varying mixture of coffee, marshmallows, Ovaltine, cinnamon, ½ and ½ (to increase the calorie count) and a bottle of chocolate Boost PLUS nutritional drink.