When Obstacles Come Our Way

Before I posted Unlimited Flexibility, I had my husband read the post so I didn’t share something too personal or that he was uncomfortable with.   We then talked about how some of these obstacles might have led us to believe that maybe we had made a wrong decision.   When obstacles come our way, we often second guess ourselves and truthfully sometimes obstacles can be a closed door guiding us in another direction.

How do we tell the difference?  I am not an expert but for us it has to do with our call.   In this situation, we had really prayed about whether this training was necessary and worth the money we would spend.   We both felt like it was something my husband should do so when obstacles came our way, we looked at them as something we needed to overcome not as a closed door.  One thing I have been thankful for in regards to our time in Central Asia is the strong call that we feel for the people and what we do.  We consider this a gift.  When times get hard and we want to quit, we remember that God has called us to this place.  He will make a way or clearly show us a different way.   Of course, knowing our call has a lot to do with knowing our Savior and God and staying connected to Him.  We can’t know what His desire for us if we don’t spend time with Him.   Sometimes obstacles send us running to the feet of our Lord right where we needed to be all along.

Closed doors are hard.  When we are searching for God’s will in regard to two or more options, a closed door is a blessing.  On the other hand, a closed door can sometimes be a no to something we really wanted or desired.  A closed door can come suddenly without warning throwing us for a spin.   It often requires us to step back and ask, “why?”   For example, this past summer a friend of ours had to leave the field due to medical issues.  He was right where he felt called to be.  He even had at least 5 or more years left of flying.   This closed door even had our team asking, “Why?”   His closed door was clearly directing him to another place.  Other obstacles like concerns about your children’s education, frequent sicknesses, or conflicts within a team are harder to interpret.  Is this a closed door or an opportunity for our faith to grow?   Once again it goes back to what has God called us to do. Does this situation change that?  Are there signs directing us in another direction?  I once heard someone say it is better to run towards something rather than away from something.  We had some friends who were struggling with issues with their children’s education and wondering if that was God’s way of directing them to a different place.  They didn’t want to leave just because it was hard.  A month later, they were invited to come and work at a college in another location.  They had something to run to.  God was guiding them to something.  The two things together plus time with God confirmed to them this new direction.

What kind of obstacles are you encountering in your walk?  Is it an obstacle or a closed door?  I would love to hear how God is working in your life in the comments.

Other posts that you might enjoy are Not Getting Sidetracked From Your Call and Is Anything Getting in the Way of Your Call.