I have a cold.  I feel miserable, and I don’t have time for a cold.  I’ve got places to go and things to get done, and all I want to do is crawl in bed and have a little pity party.

Just as I was priming up for my grand pity party of “poor me,” God reminded me (probably one of those God nudges) of a recent message from my daily devotional, Jesus Calling. 

In that devotional, Jesus said, “On days when your plans are thwarted, be on the lookout for Me!  I may be doing something important in your life, something quite different from what you expected. Simply trust Me and thank Me in advance for the good that will come out of it all.”

So what good came from my cold?  I suddenly remembered two special friends who have had pain issues for years . . .for years.  My one week with a miserable cold suddenly seemed small.  I had renewed compassion for my friends. I was also reminded that I need to encourage and affirm them often because it takes great courage, faith and determination to live life with constant pain.

In addition, I was reminded to stop often and give thanks for my usual good health.

The ending challenge in my devotional was, “So, on days when your plans are thwarted, don’t waste energy regretting the way things are.  Start at the present moment—and search for what God may be teaching you in the midst of your circumstances.”  (Jesus Calling, Sarah Young).

Karen Mulder

Karen Mulder

Karen Mulder is the founder of the Wisdom of the Wounded ministry. She lives in Holland, Michigan with her husband Larry.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.