Dear Friends,

I had an eye-opening reminder a couple of weeks ago about being thankful – even for things that we struggle with in our lives. The reminder came through Connie, a friend of mine who has dealt since childhood with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Many of you know exactly what I mean! She is open to discussing the problem, receives treatment for it, and is in a support group with others who suffer the same anxieties. We have prayed many times for Connie and the stresses this condition causes and God, by His grace, is making ways for her to cope quite successfully with it.

But here’s the part where we really see God’s grace at work: A local Christian relief agency provides food, furniture, transportation, clothing, and other necessities to those in our area who are impoverished. The leadership of that organization decided to open a resale shop as a fund-raising arm. They found a building and began to collect trailer loads of donated goods to be sorted, processed and eventually sold. The task of going through this mountain of clothing and home furnishings and getting the store ready for its grand opening was overwhelming. Connie, who was well acquainted with some who were already working on the project, volunteered to help.

After weeks of tedious, taxing, and often back-breaking work, the store was ready to open with oodles of goods and all of it beautifully displayed. One of the leaders told me that Connie’s persistence, her attention to detail, and her insistence on accuracy of sizing, pricing, and order of display were absolutely the traits they needed to keep on track and get the store opened on time and in order. Connie, upon hearing this, turned to me with a twinkle in her eye and said, “My OCD finally paid off!”

Because of all the circumstances that led to Connie’s volunteering there in the first place, those of us who know her never had any doubt that God led her to this particular job. But we did not know that He had already equipped her with the exact skills she would need to fulfill the difficult and often repetitive tasks ahead of her. What a great example of God taking what we see as a handicap or a disability and using it powerfully in His Kingdom! Only eternity will reveal all who will benefit because of Connie’s volunteer efforts.

And we know that Connie is not the first example of this. Remember Ehud, the left-handed judge we are told about in Judges 3? In the days when Ehud lived, it was considered a handicap or even a deformity to be left-handed. It was not the norm and, therefore, was looked upon with great question. Also at that time, countries were defended by the face-to-face fighting of warriors. Because most of the soldiers were right-handed, security checks usually included frisking of the left side of the man’s body because that’s where he would keep his sword or knife. In event of conflict with another, he would reach across his body with his right hand and pull out his weapon.

That’s where God, again by His grace, decided that Ehud’s “handicap” would, in fact, come in very handy to save the people of Israel. Because he was left-handed, Ehud kept his sword on his right side and, thereby, passed right through the security check into the enemy king’s palace when he went to pay taxes. Then, when no one was watching, he reached for his well-hidden sword and killed the evil king of Moab who had kept Israel in subjection for 18 long years. After the assassination, Ehud escaped and rallied the troops. Israel gained a great victory and experienced peace for the next 80 years. God used what the rest of the world saw as a handicap to deliver His people. Ehud was particularly suited for the job God had in mind for him.

What about you and me? Is there something you struggle against? Something that seems to make life harder than you want it to be? Maybe a physical or emotional handicap? A learning disability? A personality issue? A crippling family relationship? These are things to pray about to be sure, but we know that God doesn’t always deliver us from what we see as problems. Sometimes He chooses to leave those problems as they are and then to find a unique way for us to use them in His kingdom – just as He did with Connie’s OCD and Ehud’s left-handedness.

That apostle Paul knew that. We are aware that he had some kind of a physical problem (he called it “a thorn in the flesh”) and that he prayed to have removed. But God chose to let Paul cope with the problem as a reminder of his own weakness and his need to depend totally on Christ’s power (II Corinthians 12:7-10).

And, perhaps that is why Paul could say from personal experience that we should “. . . give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18). No matter what condition we find ourselves living with, we are to give thanks and then allow God to use us in whatever way He chooses – in spite of and maybe even because of our own handicap! If we give Him a chance to show us how He wants to do that, He will open doors we cannot even imagine.

As you think about these things, be thankful and be blessed!

Bev

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