BLIP! Unexpected Bumps in Your Journey

My life is going pretty well. I feel like I’m meeting my goals and addressing my needs. Suddenly, I am surprised by some kind of disturbance, a blip. Perhaps an opportunity comes my way and I have to decide whether to grab it and hold on tight, or dismiss it as a distraction.

Another blip occurs when there seems to be a huge roadblock to a God-directed pursuit. I’m moving forward toward a goal God gave me, and now everything comes to a dead stop. How can I determine whether the barrier is God-made, satanically devised, or due to my own weakness?

Other bumps come when my relationships go awry. Perhaps I’m sure that my fellow workers are all on the same page. Then someone suddenly turns south and vehemently opposes me. Now there’s confusion in the midst of us.

There are also times when I have had to make a choice between two great paths forward. Each seems God-breathed and full of activities I was born to do. Yet, these two paths conflict in use of my time, energy, and perhaps purpose, so I am forced to choose between them.

These four kinds of blips catch me off guard more often than not, and I can become stressed out. I need to remember that life is not a straight line. Events and people will put twists and turns in my journey. Therefore I need to learn how to discern and handle the blips that appear on my radar screen.

Each of us have personality tendencies that vary our responses to these sudden challenges. Depending upon the type of challenge, we can feel a range of responses; everything from defeat (What’s the use of trying?), to racing forward (Not gonna let this get me down!).

Sorting through your most typical reactions and adjusting them better prepares you for the next blip. Ask yourself:

• Do you tend to dismiss roadblocks, saying, “It doesn’t really matter”? OR
• Do you feel stress when a roadblock appears to block every possible solution?

o If we chuck every obstacle out the window, we can miss God’s course corrections. If we stress too much, we create side effects that can become their own roadblocks to our future.

• Do you try to compensate when a relational rift takes place by seeking people who will automatically agree with you? OR
• Do you bow to the other person’s opinion to keep peace even if you disagree with them?

o You are not always right; but you are not always wrong. Don’t become confused. God will be clear in how you approach a torn relationship to bring Him honor and glory (not necessarily your honor and glory).

• Do you tend to see every great opportunity as being God-ordained and add it to your life? OR
• Do you become overwhelmed when new opportunities arise, thinking it’s yet one more thing to do?
  o Opportunities may be great, but some are not ordained for you. If you are to take on the opportunity, God will provide direction and the grace to do the task.
• When you come up against a roadblock, do you tend to find ways to plow right through it? OR
• When approaching a barrier, do you feel that God must not be pleased so you make a quick exit?

o Don’t try too hard. But don’t let the blip destroy your hope. God is ready to rescue anything and everything that is in His will.

None of the above choices are good ones. We need the Holy Spirit to speak so we can interpret the bump correctly and know what to do next. This means we need to stop and wait for God’s voice to be clear.

Some of us who are Type-A personalities will want to quickly fix everything. It seems like torture when God says not to act but wait. We must choose God’s perfect timing, not our own.

Here are some promises to help work through your blips:

• God promises us that He will carry us through! Isaiah 41:10
• God tells us He is on our side! Romans 8:31
• God declares His love is perfect for us! Jeremiah 31:3
• God says He will prove our faith, as He stands with us in suffering, challenges, and our mistakes! 1 Peter 1:7

A blip is defined as a short, temporary delay in a process or relationship that may or may not change our direction moving forward. Although we may see our roadblocks as enormous, God sees them as blips. That’s because He holds the entire picture in His hands!

Let the Holy Spirit validate how you handle the blips in your life keep on with the adventure, woman of God!