Everything is an Opportunity not an Obstacle

Recently, I was t-boned by a lady going 50 mph who ran a red light and didn’t even brake. BLAM! She hit my driver side door after I pulled into an intersection after my light turned green. Needless to say, I was knocked senseless. Literally it took me over 20 minutes to start to fire on all my mental cylinders. I get the term blindsided completely now. Coffee from my cupholder was all over me and I couldn’t find anything – everything was thrown to the right of the car. Amazingly I am ok. No injuries, just a little soreness. The Lord protected me! So was this an obstacle or an opportunity?

Two weeks later I was waiting to hear about my car. I was told by the shop that the damage didn’t reach the percentage to total my car. So I was so grateful, as I hate the process of getting a new car. Not only does it take time, it also takes me a bit to get situated and make my home in the new location. Guess I am a creature of habit.

An Obstacle in My Way

The day I was hoping to hear about my car, I had this phrase going through my head. ”Everything is an opportunity not an obstacle!” I should have known something was coming down the pike. The meaning of this to me was, because I am His I don’t have true obstacles. All my obstacles are an opportunity for Him to be my Father and reveal Himself to me. Talk about faith, would I have it?!

In this light, the news I was to receive, and actually the accident itself, would need to be viewed through that faith. I’d have to look at this whole scenario through faith, not by what was happening. You remember the post I did about my sister who was diagnosed with cancer? God said, “Don’t look at what is happening, look at what I am doing!” Well, that lesson was coming back around to give me a little kiss.

The Obstacle is the Way

I recently read a book that has the most intriguing title. The Obstacle is the Way. Personally I got so much out of the title, I could have stopped there. This book isn’t written by a Christian, but I was just captured by the title. As I see it, this particularly works for the man of faith. The obstacles in our path are not hindrances, they literally are the way. I don’t get to sail through life without things that must be overcome. What’s more, those things are literally the way not a detour from it.

This message is totally empowering. It makes us responsible and accountable to not be thrown by our apparent obstacles, but empowered to face them as the WAY. While some could hysterically face their obstacles as if something was wrong, the man of faith can see it as part of the journey. Obstacles are our journey. To resist obstacles is to resist the Way. Get my meaning?

Resisting Our Opportunity

When we resist the obstacles, we resist our adventure. And for the man of faith, we resist the God who is forming us through our very obstacles. Our obstacles make us and reveal to us, our God.

I saw all this on the day that I found out that in actuality they totaled my car. My obstacle would be that I would have to get another car. And if I viewed it with limited sight, I would say I was being inconvenienced. But maybe God knows something I don’t. Maybe He is taking the bull by the horns and my need is to just receive His divine obstacle. I will never know unless I release myself to the Way and not try to control the situation. Seeing the obstacle as the Way, actually gives me control of my reaction and response. I am not manipulated by the barrier, I am blessed by it. More as this saga develops…