22 Jul OH, THE POSSIBILITIES!

Our family has a verse, a motto of sorts.

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26.

The thing is, this verse sounds better than it feels. Anyone walking through impossible circumstances can attest to that. Staring impossibility in the face is daunting and can leave us feeling discouraged and hopeless.

I had a discussion recently with God about this very thing. He’s given us a vision for our family that quite frankly seems far off and unattainable. We’ve done what we can to steward this calling but the more time that passes the more improbable the odds become and the more obstacles that appear. When I finished lamenting about the sheer implausibility of it all, I could almost feel God smile as if to say, “That’s sounds just about right.”

Impossible circumstances may overwhelm and intimidate us, but not so with God. Indeed, impossible is where He does His best work—not just in our circumstances, but also in us.

Impossible tends to bring us to the end of ourselves. And in doing so, it produces in us a desperation and dependency that opens our eyes to new possibilities that we might otherwise have missed. Impossible can teach us what it truly means to “lean not on our own understanding.” It allows God to carve out paths for us that we could never and would never have carved ourselves.

Impossible also exposes our heart and probes its motives. It has been God’s most trusted sanctifying-tool in my life. Nothing reveals our ungodly tendencies more than facing off against the impossible. Although this often leaves us exposed and raw, the revelation of our weaknesses and limitations is what prompts our cries of repentance and ushers in His grace and mercy.

Impossible tests our endurance, teaches us perseverance and provides us unparalleled opportunity to flex our faith. Our ability to stand in the midst of it can be an unrivaled witness of the power of the gospel in our lives.

Impossible is also where the glory is most clearly God’s alone.

By the end of my conversation with God, I was beginning to see the amazing possibilities of impossibility. My prayer this week is that you can see them too.

Tina Miranda