“This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer a short time in various trials” (1 Peter 1:6, NET).

Eight years ago, he presented with kidney cancer and metastases throughout his bones. Through amazing developments in science, guided by the hand of God, he is presently cured of his cancer. Along the way he has had multiple bone surgeries and radiation to individual lesions. He is now confined to a wheelchair, and his old arm fractures are causing enough pain that he needs bilateral shoulder replacements. He is stuck in a nursing home, away from his wife because he cannot use his arms to care for himself. He came today wanting preoperative clearance for shoulder replacements. His cardiac and frailty scores are so bad that he will never be approved. “They might as well just shoot me in the head and be done with me,” he said.

Sometimes, you just can’t fix things. Some things just can’t be fixed. Sometimes we have to live a life that can’t be changed.

We all have plans in life with goals to achieve, some pleasant and some grand. We develop an inertia moving toward those goals and settle in to our expectations.

Then things change. A relationship failure, a fire like we saw in Los Angeles earlier this year, a chronic illness, a plane crash with one we love, a mistake pasted on our forehead for all to see or a hundred other possible difficulties—our life is redirected. We are on a new path in a canyon with no way out to reach our life before.

What do we do when things are dramatically changed and we can’t fix them?

It’s okay to grieve, but after a while that grief must be surrendered to God so we can serve Him when He calls.

It’s okay that we seek to return to the path we loved, but only until the Lord says, “No.”

It’s okay to ask “why,” but only to seek direction for the path ahead.

Then we must move forward into a life that is different than before.

Move on with questions:

• “How can I use this new life for God’s glory?”
• “How do I care for others who are affected by my change?”

Move on with God leading—His direction.

Move on with God’s purpose—His mission.

Move on with God’s presence—His power, peace, love and even joy.

Move on with our future assured—“…In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…” (1 Peter 1:3-4, NIV).

Dear Father,

Help me settle into your plan, your love and your purpose when life changes.

Amen