Turner Chapel

From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones

There are times we come to a point in our lives that nothing seems to go right and ever snare that can be thrown against us is thrown. Our vision gets blurry, we lose sight of our dreams and our mission seems to be off course. And we can even sit back and think about the times where we were on “track” or on “target” and something happened and we had to postpone that thing we were on track and on target for.

We may have been on track to start graduate school in the spring, but just found out that we were pregnant. We may have been on target to buy our dream house, but just lost our job last Friday. We may have been on target to get married in the fall, but a drunk driver took the life of our fiancé.

But whose target are we aiming for…ours or God’s? For Proverbs 19:21 tells us that “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”. We can only see directly in front of us, but Our Maker can see what is around the corner. Psalms 139:16b reminds us that God knew what was going to happen before it happened…”All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Unfortunately though, we know what’s in His word, but do we respond accordingly when things go awry in our lives? Most of us get have our Pre-Holy Ghost Pity Party. That’s where we get to crying and everything and let all of our emotions out before we can have our Praise Party.

The human nature in us responds quicker than the spiritual most times. Usually after we get all that out, we stop long enough to let the peace of God come over us and we sit there with an “Aha Moment”. Because if we sit and think about some of the situations we’ve been through in the past, and how we reacted in the past…shame on us!!! LOL!!! But our pains and trials are part of the maturation process we go through as Christians.

Joseph had 13 years worth of so-called stumbling blocks, but they were necessary steps to get him from the miracle son of Jacob to the Governor of Egypt. So yes, you may have lost your job, but you had to be removed for a better one to come along to afford you the house you REALLY want. Yes, you may have gotten pregnant, but God has blessed you with the gift of life and ordained you steward over one of His precious angels.

Just as we always hear…what the devil meant for bad, God will turn it around for good. So whether it is 13 days, 13 months or 13 years for us, in looking at our “going through” with the proper perspective, we can turn our Devil intended stumbling blocks to God-ordained stepping stones. HALLELUJAH!!!

Your Humble Servant,
The Reverend Raushanah N. Butler