Disruptive Moments

Disruptive Moments

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”                         (2 Cor. 12:10 NLT)

Have you ever experienced a disruptive moment?

     Disruptive moments are those times when unwelcome events occur in our lives that usually involve pain, inconvenience, failure, set-backs, or humiliation. These difficulties pop up unexpectedly and find us totally unprepared. I would liken them to pot holes or bumps in the road of life. Sometimes they are short in duration while at other times they linger endlessly.

     I experienced a disruptive moment while on a mission trip to Peru in 2008. I was bending over to get into a tiny taxi and bumped my left ear on the door frame smashing my hearing aid. To some this may seem like a small bump, but to me it was devastating. Not only did I ruin a $2,000 hearing aid, but now I could only hear out of one side of my head. Would I be able to teach the children and hear their responses? Other bumps in the road appeared when each of our team members got a twenty-four hour sickness with flu like symptoms. How were we going to handle these disruptive moments? Those of us that were not sick met together for prayer. We also searched the Scripture and decided to claim the verse in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We determined to trust the Lord in spite of the bumps in the road.

     The Apostle Paul experienced a lot of disruptive moments in his life. He was beaten and left for dead, shipwrecked on his way to Rome, bitten by a poisonous viper and survived, put in chains and cast into prison, suffered a thorn in the flesh, endured hunger and hardships, and numerous other failures, disappointments, humiliations, and set-backs. How did he manage to keep going?

     He did the same thing that we did when we were hit by disruptive moments. He prayed and trusted the promises of God, especially the promise the Lord gave him in 2 Corinthians 12:9;

      “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

     Why does God allow us to experience these disruptive moments? What could be his purpose? I can think of at least two reasons: (1) to cause us to turn to him in total dependence and faith, (2) to allow us to experience the power of God in the midst of our weakness. When bumps in the road appear in your life allow God’s grace to overshadow you and bring you peace.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I know disruptive moments will come, help me to fully trust in you.