Okay, so last week I was so upset.

I was working on my laptop. which has my entire work life on it...

and I set it down on a side table.

And it fell over onto the floor and --- SNAP!!!

Uh-oh. 

I looked down and there it was: the power cord had separated from the laptop... and the end was broken inside.

Several tech calls later I was advised that this was a catastrophic event and irreparable. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only had a 50% charge left and lots to do if I was to save and transfer material to a new laptop.

I hate that!!!

It takes me days to shop for a new unit. Or anything, actually. Shopping specs, prices, options... it exhausts me with the choices and making a final decision. I should have been excited because I had not upgraded in about 10 years! But this was not a planned event.

I finally chose my product. Ordered and shipped to me, I received it and begrudgingly started setting it up: work space pages were added, programs restored, passwords!!! (I couldn't even remember them since they were automatically entered on about 30 regularly used accounts.)

Two days later I was up and running. It took time to get used to a new keyboard configuration and find certain keys. It was not the same as my old comfortable laptop, but it interesting to work with a new one.

Then a couple days later I got a surprise call from a company that had tried for over a year to fix the church's LED sign. It had broken and the program could not be changed from 3 years of seeing "WELCOME" scroll across it. 

This new company said they could replace the broken LED part, install a new and modern one with a program that is well supported and simple to use. They even offered lifetime support and free installation for the church. The price was pretty fair, too. 

The problem was whether I had a newer computer for all of this to work effectively! Um........ yes. Yes, I do. I have a modern laptop that will easily work with the sign program. NOW.

If I had not had to get a new laptop, I would have had to if we were to finally repair the sign ---- which gets a lot of attention from the traffic that moves past the church. 

God had something for us --- but what I thought was a bad thing, turned into a blessing in disguise. 

Do you see that in your own life?

Times when an annoying, frustrating, upsetting thing happens. Then you discover a blessing -- an AHA! moment when it makes sense.

It's just a "God thing" and you turn your sorrow into dancing. Tears into laughter. Or anger into peace.

God is working. It is not always the devil messing with you. Like Esther last week.... her capture and abduction from home to the palace turned into a year of hard separation, fear and anxiety. Yet, God was working out things. She rose from Jewish orphaned girl to Persian Queen and 5 years later, she was instrumental in stopping a genocide of her people and ridding Persia of a racist enemy, while maintaining the favor of the King.

WOW! What most thought was an evil edict against the young girls, turned into an historic event that echoes still today.

God is good ---- all the time. Many times, we won't recognize His hand. But in the fullness of His mercy and grace and love --- we will discover how often He interceded for His plans for us and His will to be done.

Fear not! God is working everything out as we seek His face, trust Him and are willing to obey when we do not understand. 

Maranatha, y'all.

HE IS COMING BACK.

Stay strong and stand firm.

Shalom/Peace.