As we all know, sometimes life brings the unexpected. This past Wednesday our daughter Lottie had some unexpected complications with one of the rods in her back. That complication prompted a late-night call to her surgeon and an urgently scheduled surgery for Friday morning, in New Orleans. Thankfully Lottie has not been in any pain and we have family and friends stepping in to help in all of the right ways but this was definitely unexpected.
So what do we do when life brings the unexpected? First things first, We Pray! That may sound like a very spiritual answer to a practical question but these kinds of matters require both practical and spiritual responses. We pray, asking God for wisdom in all the decisions that need to be made. We pray, asking the Lord to provide healing and to use medicine, and medical professionals to do great work. We pray, asking the Holy Spirit to show Himself as the comforter and the helper that He is. We pray, knowing that when we don’t know what to pray, our God will still do what is right and best according to His will.
Secondly, we start moving. Practically speaking, we genuinely had tasks to accomplish; calls to make, bags to pack, rooms to reserve, and so on. It is actually helpful to take steps to accomplish what needs to happen. Don’t allow the unexpected to stop you in your tracks. Call upon the Lord and allow Him to direct your steps.
Thirdly, praise the Lord. This one can be both the most difficult and the most forgotten. We praise God because He is sovereign through our unexpected. Remember, your surprise is not surprising to Him. Therefore, we praise Him because He will hold your hand, He will guide your steps, and His Will will be accomplished!
I say often, “Life is Hard” and it is. But just because it is hard and just because it can bring the unexpected doesn’t mean we can’t lean on the Lord through it all.
Be joyful,
Chad Hunsberger
