James 1:2-3 – Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (NLT)

My husband and I certainly didn't think that it was an opportunity for great joy when our car wouldn't start. For once, we were in the car at exactly 6:00 a.m., ready to head home from a recent holiday, a day's drive from New Denver, British Columbia, Canada, to Red Deer, Alberta. We had a small inland ferry to catch, so we needed to leave on the hour. Terry pushed the starter button. A few lights appeared on the dash, but no action. Stunned disbelief! As we fiddled around, even those lights faded away. Now we'll be stuck here for hours, I thought, far from any decent garage. Finally, I suggested that he call the Alberta Motor Association. The voice at the end of the line promised help within two hours.

In the meantime, I calmly finished my Bible reading, sitting comfortably on the couch in the house that had been lent to us, instead of trying to read on a winding mountain road. Terry stared out the window. I was impressed that he didn't seem upset. He had calculated how long it would take for the tow truck to come, and then, he walked the short distance to the highway to direct it. Thinking that the whole hybrid car battery would need to be removed from the rear, Terry had piled our luggage onto the ground. "Nope. I can try charging the battery from here," said the cheerful young mechanic, lifting the hood. "You'll be fine. As you drive the hour to the ferry, you'll be fully charged." We held our breath at each stop, and it was so. We were fine.

2 Corinthians 4:17 – For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that far outweighs them and will last forever! (NLT)

As we related our battery issue, my daughter-in-law commented, "That was just a blip." The dictionary definition of blip is "a temporary irregularity recorded in performance of something". The trouble that we faced did not last long. We were delayed by only a little over a couple of hours, getting home before sunset. We didn't overtly react with a bad attitude, but neither did we see anything to be joyful about. Maybe God was really showing us that setbacks, big or small, are just a blip on the road of life.

Let's look at temporary setbacks as just blips on the road of life.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that our setbacks are just blips on the road of life. Thank You that You are building endurance in us and strengthening our character through these testings. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Alice Burnett <terrencera.burnett@gmail.com>
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
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