Sickness, Forgotten Backpacks, and Providence

Photo by Melissachoo

This morning was unusual.  My son became sick on the way to school; and once we arrived there, to drop off my daughter, we realized that she had forgotten her backpack at home.  On the way back home to retrieve it I was making calls - to the middle school to say that my son was sick, to work to let them know I wouldn't be in, etc.  From the backseat I heard my son say, "Dad, I am so sorry to make you miss work today; I know you don't have much sick time."  I assured him that it was perfectly fine., that sick time is there for a reason and he had absolutely nothing to feel bad about.  Besides, you never know how God can make use of a sickness ... or a forgotten backpack ...

St. Paul would not have stopped in Galatia to preach the Gospel unless he had been forced to stop there by an illness.  It's true:

You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first; and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. (Gal.4:13-14)

The truth is, we never know what kind of "surgery" God will perform on a heart forced to take a day off of work or school and quietly rest - or how a u-turn for a forgotten backpack may prevent you from continuing down your usual route and being in a fender bender, or getting to work a couple of minutes later but running into someone God wanted you to talk to.  It makes for a much brighter day to trust that the Good Lord has it all under control, and is working things for the good (Rom.8:28).