Keeping a Wheelchair Ramp

We purchased our home here in Charleston a little over a year ago. The absolutely amazing family we purchased it from had a son in a wheelchair and so there's a long wheelchair ramp in our garage. We've thought many times about removing that long ramp but we've never done so and besides, our kids love to ride their bikes and skate down it. And truth be told, it's not taking up that much space in our 2 1/2 car garage. And then it hit me. We need that ramp. We can't get rid of it. Allow me to explain.

We are all on a journey. We are all on a path. A path that, try as we might, doesn't always head in the direction we expected. There are bumps and turns and stoplights and detours that we never saw coming. We can view these changes with disappointment and discouragement or we can view them as a challenge and an opportunity.

I know many of us have had detours in life but how did we respond to them? See, I believe God is orchestrating all of our lives, uniquely and individually. We may not fully understand "the why" but we can have have full faith in "the Who." I couldn't comprehend at the time why I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. But now I realize I've had opportunities to connect with people from literally around the world. I couldn't comprehend why my mom and brother were killed in a car accident in 1980. But now I understand how to relate to tragic deaths. I couldn't understand the vision God gave me on August 26, 2010 at Starved Rock State Park, but that vision ultimately lead us into full time ministry. And I couldn't understand at the time why my dad had to die of cancer and we bury him Father's Day weekend, 2012. But now I realize that partly through his death, God has given Jenn and I a heart for the fatherless. If you live your life with the "glass is half empty" mentality, thirst is just around the corner. But if you live your life with the "glass is half full" mentality, you can always be refreshed. I'm not saying that tragedy is easy. It's not. It's horrible. I wouldn't wish the shoulder and back injuries I sustained when I was rear-ended on July 30, 2012 on anyone. But through that accident, we ultimately were lead to move to South Africa. Life is full of opportunities through adversities. It all comes down to perspective.

So do we look at detours and course-changes as opportunities? An opportunity for the glory of God to be displayed to all? God is orchestrating all of our lives and we need to look for ways to glorify him through all that happens. Why did you lose a job? Maybe it's because God has something greater for you. Why did you get sick and get hospitalized? Maybe it's to minister to one of the medical staff. Why were you forced to move? Maybe a neighborhood needed a Jesus representative and you were the perfect fit. Why did Grandma move into your spare bedroom? Maybe it's because the elderly community needs Jesus and she's your golden ticket.

Even without tragedies, life presents opportunities to display His glory. We need to have heavenly perspective. We need the spiritual lens of Jesus. To see what He sees. To live life by faith and to enter into opportunities that we don't see, but He does. Why was a ministry (not ours) given a check for $100,000? God has a plan for that money. Why did you get a promotion at work? Possibly to impact more people in a greater way. Why did your son turn 16? Maybe it's a great opportunity for him to minister to others, you just thought your car insurance increased. And why did we buy a house that had a wheelchair ramp? Maybe it's because we'll meet someone new on campus this fall who is wheelchair bound. What an awesome opportunity to have someone new in our home who couldn't go somewhere else otherwise.

It all comes down to proper perspective.

Attitude really does affect altitude. Try it out. The view is pretty phenomenal.

May you be blessed today.