A misunderstanding of our circumstances could cause us to miss out on God's plan for us.

Lessons from a 3-year old (part 3): 

The other day during all the tornado warnings and storms, Lizzie runs to the back door and excitedly reports to me "Daddy! It's snoring outside!" It took a second to realize she was referring to some pretty nasty sounding thunder. She wasn't afraid at all about it. I think she thought it was pretty cool. 

I'm a responsible enough of a parent not to leave her uninformed and let her play outside while it's "snoring." We corrected her thinking and helped her understand what was, in fact, happening. 

This time the storms weren't so bad. If we left Lizzie in her ignorance  thinking that thunderstorms were actually someone "snoring" or simply God bowling, at some point her misunderstanding of her circumstances could leave her in a deadly situation.  

This happens to us all the time. A great example of this is Joseph (Genesis 37-50). Here's the very-abridged version. Joseph's brothers are jealous of Joseph (somewhat rightfully so) and they throw him in a well and sell him into slavery (better than killing him). Bummer for Joseph. This takes him to Egypt. Joseph has a series of highs and very lows as he earns his way to a high position in Egypt only to be falsely accused of sexually assaulting his bosses wife. Now in jail. Bummer. Earns respect from interpreting dreams and becomes 2nd in command in Egypt under Pharaoh. What a ride! 

Joseph could have misunderstood his circumstances. During the highs he could have been filled with pride because of what he accomplished for himself. He could have disregarded God's work in his life because of all that had happened and that he pulled himself up by his own bootstraps and made a name for himself. 

He could have become filled with self-pity in his lows. His family abandoned him. His boss didn't believe him. His life was filled with hard labor, loneliness, and despair. Even God has turned his back on him!

Fortunately for Joseph and the nation of Israel he didn't take that perspective of his circumstances either. 

A famine happens and Joseph's family comes to Egypt for food (because they were the only nation prepared for a famine - thanks to Joseph's dream interpretation) and who do they have to request food from? Yup. Joseph. After some back and forth, Joseph reveals himself to his family:

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. (Genesis 45:4-5)

This interchange led to Joseph's family moving to Egypt, being given a safe place to live and survive the famine. 

Joseph's trust in God through difficult circumstances allowed him to see God's plan for saving his family. 

Can the same be said of you?

• What is your response to a job loss? 
• A job promotion?
• A car wreck?
• A child suffering with an addiction?
• A parent struggling with a debilitating disorder?
• The death of a family member?
• A disaster?

Your circumstances will change, but God's love for you will not; God's plans for you will not. It's easy to misunderstand our circumstances as God abandoning us. It's easy to misunderstand our blessings as simply a reward for our hard work, our persistence, something that we did and, we aren't careful we will take the credit. 

How do we respond to challenging circumstances? 

• We must look to God's word and ask "What does God say about this?"
• Sometimes, God's word doesn't speak specifically to an circumstance. In this we ask "Is there a principle from God's word that can direct me?"
• Finally, we must use the common sense God has given us and ask "What is the wise response?" 

Regardless of the circumstances I may face, I want to be able to say:

God, I may not understand what's happening right now, but I trust you. Be my rock. Be my guide. Show me how I can honor you where I am.

How do make sure to keep a right perspective? Who do you talk to in difficult circumstances or in times of blessing?