Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore , take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:12-13
Once again it happened! I was all set to start working on my latest writing project when the phone rang. A new crisis had errupted. One of my loved ones had become very ill in the night and needed me to take her to the hospital to get checked out.
Turning off my big computer, I grabbed my bag, made sure my always-charged Netbook was inside along with chargers for it and my iPhone, and headed out in a hurry. A few hours later, after getting her new prescription, we were back at her house. She was upstairs sleeping from the hospital medications, her kids were down for nap, and I was doing dishes while thinking and praying about all that had happened.
Feeling a bit frustrated at yet another interruption I was silently praying to God (in a somewhat whining voice, I’m afraid) about all the events of the past two days. As I did, He brought to mind the encouraging Bible verses from Ephesians 6:12-13.
I realized that all these delays and frustrations were like arrows in the enemy’s quiver. And the more he shot them at me, the more frustrated I got. Instead of praising God, as 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds me to do, I was getting upset, impatient and feeling like I wanted to quit. But if I did that, the articles I would write – many full of comforting Bible verses for other caregivers – would not be written. The enemy would win!
That thought was followed by many more over the course of the next few minutes. Thoughts of all the blessings God had poured out even in the midst of this latest difficult circumstance. Blessings such as:
- A frustrating text I got that I almost deleted in a huff. The info included in it came in very handy the next day providing needed information at the right time.
- My randomly stopping for gas the night before my trip to the hospital instead of waiting one more day like normal.
- The library books we had picked up for her daughter, just in time to give her something to keep her busy all day while we were at the hospital, since she was also sick.
- It happened on the only day of the week she had an all-day babysitter available.
- The unexpected bonus of time He had given me a couple of days earlier – when I had been able to write up a week’s worth of daily posts for my blog, SandwichINK, allowing me to stay on track with that.
- The joy of being able to minister to this family, not to mention all the sweet hugs.
Just as Jesus was in control on that stormy night on the boat, when His disciples were panicking as He slept, He was in control of this situation as well. The devil may attack us with fiery darts, he may even succeed at interrupting us momentarily. But when we turn to God and surrender each situation and interruption to Him, He will take them and use them – to mold us, to guide us, and often, to add texture and dimension to our writing. I’ve heard it said that in God’s economy, nothing is ever wasted – and that includes all the interruptions we writers may face!
Dear Lord,
Please forgive me for complaining when interruptions hit. Help me to remember to truly rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in EVERYTHING give thanks. Thank you for reminding me of all your many blessings in the midst of trials and interruptions, and please use them in my writing to bring you praise and glory.
Amen
