No!

I remember one summer day when I saw my life flash before my eyes. I was on Highway 64 and had intended to turn right onto Appling Road. Halfway through the intersection, however, I realized I had just missed my turn. I looked to my right wishing that I hadn't made the error. The wish only lasted for a split second. Instead, my jaw dropped. A car was swerving out of control into the lane where I should’ve been. Without a doubt, if I had turned as I had intended, I would've been hit. I was stunned. I knew that the Lord had protected me.Almost twenty years have passed and I still remember the image. If I had not had a friend in the car to observe the same thing, I would have probably wondered if I had just imagined this unlikely occurrence. It was the one time where the Lord allowed me to see that He was protecting me from something that could have been. Yet here is the reality: the vast majority of the time, we are blind to all of the protection we receive.Have you ever been incredibly disappointed that you didn’t get a job? Did a relationship crumble that was supposed to be “the one”? Were you left out from some opportunity that all your friends got to be a part of? Did the contract on that house you had to have fall through? Have you been mad at God, wondering why you seem to be missing out in some way?The next time this happens, I urge you to remember that the no’s we receive could be protecting us from pain we will never know about. This past summer, we went through a school decision-making process that brought unexpected confusion to us and frustration to our daughter. In the end, Chris and I sensed that we needed to change our thinking and remove an opportunity that we had previously given Annika. She had not done anything wrong and every part of us wanted to ignore the warning. As a parent, I can look at the situation and realize that God likely protected her from something we couldn’t see. It’s often easy to see for someone else’s situation, but hard to accept as we are receiving our own no’s.Where are you receiving a no right now? In the moment, it’s hard to think that God is protecting us, or perhaps that He even has something better. Do not allow circumstances to adjust your view of God! His character has not changed. He is good. We must adjust our view of the circumstances and trust that out of His love for us, He alone knows what is best.I would love to know if you have ever been able to see a glimpse of God’s protection after receiving a no in your life!