by Brooks Hartzell
Most of our readers here know how much we love our Florida snowbirding life! Our little mobile home park in the Tampa area is simply amazing! A community of some of the friendliest most caring people we have ever known! We look forward to returning every year, and now winter is our favorite season!
But early last year construction was started just a few hundred yards to the south of us on a brand new 3-story apartment complex. Not only did this obstruct our view, but the constant noise of construction was so loud that at times Marla had to leave our mobile home just to conduct her remote piano lessons. And the dust at times could be like a dust storm finding its way into our mobile and onto everything. How Marla in particular hated this apartment building! And so did all our neighbors!
Since we love our little place so much, you can understand how we were concerned about the approach of Hurricane Milton last week. We and many others (some at TOL!) prayed fervently. Praise God! Our prayers were answered!! Just before making landfall, the storm turned south just enough to spare Tampa from the direct hit which would likely have been a historic disaster.
In the ensuing days we learned that despite 100 MPH winds, damage in our park was minimal. Only 2 or 3 mobiles had the dreaded roof damage, and around 30 had lessor damage to car ports, siding, etc.
Now here’s the interesting part: All 30 of those mobiles were in the east side of the park. NONE of the mobiles on the west side where we are had any reportable damage! The reason seems to be--that hated apartment complex which blocked the wind just enough to protect us!
We didn’t miss the irony of this—and the lesson.
Often things come into our lives that are annoying, inconvenient, or just downright bad, and it’s hard for to be anything short of resentful. But then later we find ourselves thanking God for having used that very thing for our good!
Reminds me of those fleas in Corrie Ten Boom’s stalag barracks which protected them from the advances of their Nazi captors.
Or Joseph.
Or Daniel.
Or Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem which brought the gospel into the heart of that evil empire and even Caesar’s own household!
My hope is that we will take this lesson to heart being more encouraged to claim Romans 8:28 and Ephesians 5:20 when a bad turn of events comes our way--not simply curse the thing as evil which in fact may truly be. But in all things to KNOW and have FAITH and HOPE that in the end God may well use those very things to benefit us! YES, HE REALLY IS THAT BIG!!!
So, what is YOUR annoying 3-story apartment complex going up next door to YOU? What is that nuisance in your life that you really detest and just wish would go away? If you refuse to empower it with negativity, it just might make it a little easier for God to remove it, and in the meantime even use it as a means of blessing you!
So, I want to thank God in advance of seeing what He does with these things. It’s easy to thank God after a miracle. It takes faith to thank Him for it before it happens!
Yes?
😊
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