Problem or Opportunity?

Is it a problem or an opportunity?

This is the question that came up as I talked to an acquaintance of mine last week. She was expressing frustration in the number of request for assistance that she was receiving from her peers. She currently supervises a group of employees and would, ultimately like to assume greater leadership responsibilities. She has a sincere desire to grow as a leader.

Therefore, as she shared some of the irritations from the constant interruptions, I seized the opportunity to share some observations with her. Our conversation began with this statement:

‘The LORD rarely gives me exactly what I ask for … ‘

I went on to state, ‘Instead He will typically present me with an opportunity. Yet often times, if I am not careful, I will only see the problem/challenge and not the opportunity.’

I went on to say, ‘You shared with me a couple of weeks ago that you desire greater leadership responsibilities. Well, part of the responsibilities of the role that you seek is being responsible for providing direction to you and your peers. So, you can either view their requests as an annoyance, or you can recognize it as God preparing you for the job you expressed you wanted.’

I did not share this to minimize her concerns. Rather, I wanted her to understand how easy it is for us to overlook what God is doing in our lives simply because He does not always answer the way that we thought He would.

• There have been times I have prayed for finances and overtime became available.
• Currently, I am studying Psychology with a focus on Christian counseling. And, lately, the most interesting people (primarily strangers) keep approaching me for advice.

Now I can either scoff at it – which, if I am honest, I have done on occasion

OR

I can embrace it for the wonderful development opportunity it is

Therefore I say to you …

BE ENCOURAGED

Some of the things that you may be viewing as undesirable are the very things that will usher you to your answer. If look close enough and dig deep enough, nestled snuggly in the core of most problems is the solution that you seek.

Our task is to continually seek out His perspective and let that influence our attitudes about our circumstances.

As you encounter situations, take some time to pray, asking the Holy Spirit for discernment on how to view the situation and how to respond. You might be surprised at what you start to notice.

 

Praying that you will have an abundantly blessed week ...

 

Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
Psalm 105:19