(by Lorie Codispoti)
We live in the realm of the impossible.
Each of us walks through circumstances that, no matter how hard we try, they remain impossible to fix.
Perhaps you are facing a serious health issue. Maybe it’s a wayward child that keeps you awake at night. Or, you may be trying to care for a disabled family member. You name it, we all have impossible situations to navigate. Financial challenges, marital issues, legal matters, relationship struggles, job insecurity, addictions, etc. No one escapes the impossible.
However, let's not lose heart!
Chuck Swindoll said it well when he noted that, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
What would happen if we viewed our impossible situation from that perspective?
It’s not easy. It requires something outside of our natural tendency to ruminate on our problems.
If I want to see the possible in the midst of the impossible, I need to start by removing the “im” from the word. This is called surrender. When I surrender my own ideas of how to fix whatever is needed in a difficult situation, I actually open the door for God to work.
While it may be a fearful thing to let go of something, when we willingly surrender our thoughts, ideas, and actions to the Lord it activates our faith to employ all the possibilities that the “im” kept us from considering. By removing the “disguise” (as Chuck calls it), we clear the way to see the “opportunity” that lies before us.
Will it change your circumstance? Not necessarily. But it can change your view, which will most definitely have an impact on that circumstance.
Do you know what Paul said to the Philippian believers after warning them not to put their confidence in themselves? He reminded them that “The Lord is at hand” (Phil.4:5). It’s so much easier to surrender confidence in our own efforts when we remind ourselves of His residing presence in our lives.
But this doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to do the same thing Paul exhorts these believers to do: “Stand fast in the Lord” (vs.1).
I pray we will also stand fast and be assured of God’s presence as we surrender our problems to Him.
May He give us the faith to believe what Jesus said to His disciples - when they and the rich young ruler realized that none of them possessed the ability to save themselves - “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Mtt.19:26)
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