Tag: opportunities

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Turning obstacles into opportunities

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Joshua 3.

We thought it was cool in the 1960s. On the starship Enterprise, you just walked up to a door and it opened automatically.

Now we take it for granted. I walk up to the door of the supermarket and it opens automatically for me. I get a little miffed if I have to open the door for myself at a store that hasn’t stepped into the 21st century.

Turns out it’s not really a new idea at all. Poised on the banks of the Jordan, God told the priests to dip a toe in and the river would stop flowing. And it did.

“When the feet of the priests carrying the ark stepped down into the edge of the water… then the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap… and all Israel crossed on dry ground (Joshua 3:15-17).

God loves to do that. He loves to turn obstacles into opportunities. He feeds crowds, stills storms, rolls stones aside, and demonstrates his faithfulness and power over and over again.

Posted in retirement

Suddenly, life is full

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

We were both standing at the kitchen island, working on our latest baking projects. My wife was cutting out sugar cookies to be baked and decorated for a granddaughter’s preschool graduation and nascent cottage food business. I was giving my sourdough a final stretch in preparation for an overnight in the fridge.

I chuckled and asked, “We had no idea we’d be doing this six months ago, did we?”

I’m coming up on two years of retirement and my wife has been easing into hers over the past six months. I was never able to come up with a really good answer for the question, “So what are you going to do?” Or, “What’s retirement going to look like for you?” She didn’t many good answers, either.

I think that’s because you just don’t know. You don’t know what opportunities, challenges, or people will show up until they do. In addition to baking and decorating cookies, we’re raising a Great Dane puppy, working on a wellness newsletter, and considering leading a small group. I’m going to lead an online Bible Study Fellowship group in the fall and teach a middle school Sunday School class once a month. None of these things were on the table even six months ago.

Yesterday, the pastor was preaching on Genesis 12. As that chapter unfolds, God says to Abram, “Go,” and “Abram went.” Talk about a bold step of faith. God’s command prompts all sorts of questions, but the only answer is, “I will show you.”

  • “Go.” “Where?” “I will show you.”
  • “I will make of you a great nation.” “How?” “I will show you.”
  • “I will bless you and make your name great.” “How are you going to do that?” “I will show you.”
  • “I will bless those who bless you…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” “What do you mean by that?” “I will show you.”

Over the next twenty-five years and eleven chapters of scripture, God does show Abram (Abraham) how he is able to do more than all we ask or imagine. In a lot of ways, the Lord has done the same thing for us. We’ve met great people, traveled to new places, and gotten involved in new ministries.

A lot of other people seemed to be concerned about our retirement life. I wasn’t. I kind of figured God would find a way to fill it up.