“Part of positioning ourselves for blessing is spotting blessings in disguise!”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Double Blessing (p. 83). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

This may be where you are today.

An obstacle or opportunity?

Mark says, “It’s seeing opportunity where others see obstacles. That may sound like nothing more than a good pep talk or TED talk, but it’s good theology! What did Joseph do to his brothers who faked his death and sold him into slavery? He didn’t curse them. He gave them shin. Like the Jewish priests who raised their hands and pronounced a blessing on the people of God, Joseph blessed his brothers through his pain. And his words reveal a double-blessing mindset: ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ (Genesis 50:20)”

Mark goes on, “If you curse those who cause you pain, it only compounds the problem. I know it’s hard not to, but it was a posture of blessing that reconciled Joseph’s relationship with his brothers. And it has the power to do the same for you! Nothing turns the page or turns the table like a blessing.

“Joseph endured thirteen years of pain and suffering, including a false accusation that landed him in prison. There must have been moments when Joseph felt cursed, right? But through all the injustice, he didn’t play the victim. God was writing a long redemption story, and Joseph finally connects the dots. His enslavement and imprisonment were blessings in disguise, were they not? I’m not calling them good. Both involved tragic circumstances and tremendous suffering. But God used those circumstances to position Joseph in Pharaoh’s administration, which ultimately saved two nations from famine!”

Mark says, “God wants to turn you into a symbol of blessing, but that isn’t the ultimate goal. If we turn the blessing of God into a pseudo status symbol, the blessing becomes a curse because of pride. The goal? To become a source of blessing! Yes, that means leveraging our time, talent, and treasure for others. But it also means leveraging our pain for another’s gain.”

Mark later says, “I’ve walked through enough unimaginable tragedies with people I pastor to know that the only way out of our pain is to leverage it for someone else’s gain. Flipping our pain doesn’t just redeem it. It functions as a painkiller. And it often translates into someone else’s miracle!

“Isn’t that what Abraham Lincoln did? It was his personal pain and suffering that enabled him to endure a civil war. He leveraged lessons learned through tough times. He exercised character cultivated in the crucible. That’s what great leaders do, and no one did it better than Jesus.

“For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2) His pain is our gain. His shame is our salvation. His suffering sets us free.”

So, do you see the blessing in flipping your pain?  Do you? 

Yes, yes!