" A Catalyst"

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

As most of you know that my mother in law went through a time of physical difficulties this past year. Last week we took her for her checkup with the neurosurgeon who operated on her back. She has been concerned because she still isn't walking better and without the aid of a walker. Her doctor took one look at her trying to walk and immediately said that this was not right, something is going on that needed to be checked into further. He decided to send her to an orthopedic doctor. When my mother in law heard this, she became some what discouraged because she had hoped that she was on the road to recovery and she saw this as a "set back". She began to wonder what else was the matter with her.

We took her Monday to see the orthopedic doctor. He took a few x-rays and watched her try to walk. He knew exactly what her problem was. The muscles in her hip area were still weak and needed to continue to be exercised until they could get stronger again. I thought this was a great report. She did not have any further problems and the inability to walk better can be corrected with continued exercise.

The reason I shared this is because often when "news" comes our way, we tend to take it as "bad news". Just like what I shared about my daughter yesterday. The news she received seemed to be discouraging because it wasn't the answer she had hoped for. But it turned out to be exactly the right thing because it put her in a position for God to open up a better avenue to meet her need. What my mother in law thought was bad news was actually working for her good. It put her in the right place to finally find out why she was not walking better.

When we receive a "report" that is not what we had hoped for, we don't need to get discouraged, worried, fearful or upset because what we see as being something bad may actually be the avenue to get us into the place were we can receive our answer, have our need met, see God move on our behalf. When things don't go the way we hope, it doesn't always represent something bad. It might be the catalyst to get us positioned for something better. Just like in the case of Joseph. The prison was a "bad report" and not such a "good thing", but it took him right into the palace.

Have a great day. It may sound bad or look bad at first, but it might be the path to get you to your answer.