Handling the Daily Dips

The yellow, diamond shaped sign read “DIP.” I slowed slightly, as the car bounced over the gully in the road, rattling the under carriage of the car and rousing my little passengers from whatever they were doing. “Nice to know it was coming,” I thought, and with a hint of sarcasm added, “even nicer if those little signs would pop up in all of life.”

“Daily Dips” -- Do you know what I mean? We come across circumstances in all sorts of shapes and sizes along this road we travel. Sometimes, the damage and destruction is devastating, causing for road closings, reconstruction and repair, other times there are detours, and sometimes, we just hit a dip in the road. They are small, inconveniences that bounce us around, often without warning. They are the unexpected that we are told we can expect. They are part of life.

They slow us down and shake us up. Untimely phone calls. Unknown bills. Breakdown of appliances. Rain when we are planning an outside party. A car glitch when we need to be somewhere. Someone forgets something and we need to run somewhere (where we are not headed) and get it. We are out of eggs for our cake. We run out of laundry soap just as the stomach flu rages through our home. Sickness infects us. Bones fracture. Plans change. Printers stop working. Times change. The hem in our skirt tears, just as we are getting ready to step out the door. Sometimes, it’s just one dip – other times, it feels like it is one after another, like the ridges on a wash board and our minds and hearts get rattled and jostled.

Seems like I’m constantly working on not only trusting God in the big things of life, but in these little ones, too.

You see, if God is really in control of all things – and He is – then the truth is that He has planned even these little things, as annoying as they may first appear. Perhaps, they are actually more like opportunities, than annoyances and nuisances. Could they be God-conveniences, not in-conveniences?

They are chances for us to be faithful to what God values. A chance to be gentle, a chance to be wise, a chance to be self-controlled (ugh!), a chance to have patience. Rather than inconvenience, maybe they are God-conveniences to love another, help a friend, take a break, slow down, ask for help, realign our priorities, spend time holding a hand (or a heart). A chance to trust God. A chance to have faith.

Yes, I believe that they are God-conveniences. God has conveniently placed them in our lives to teach us something, about ourselves, about Himself, and about life. They are useful opportunities, not hindrances to cause discomfort and trouble.

Whether it’s a road block, a detour, or the dips in the road of your travels today, trust God. Look for what He has for you. Be obedient to what He desires of you. Remember that this daily dip may in fact not be something that puts you out, but a time when God is putting something in to the life He has planned for you.