I’m sure you’re familiar with those moments in life when the thought, if one more thing goes wrong I’ll…There are the typical words that are associated with finishing that threat. Scream. Pull my hair out. Quit. Recently, the thought of wanting to do all three had crossed my mind. I think my life could have been a testimonial for the adage, if it’s not one thing it’s another!

It started with getting sick. I didn’t just get the usual flu or the yearly cold. This illness had me out of commission for nearly three weeks. Once I started to feel like my old self again, I knew I could finally attend to that past due blog post I needed to finish. I excitedly went to my desk to turn on my computer and start typing all of those thoughts that had been swirling around my head for the past three weeks. But no matter how many times I depressed the power switch all I got was a black screen. With frustration, I audibly exclaimed, “Are you serious?” Forget my over-due blog post. It certainly wasn’t going to happen now!

The day after I had taken my computer into the “doctor,” I received a call with the diagnosis. Apparently, I had shared my recent virus with my computer! “Your computer is badly infected,” the technician told me. “We will have to send it off to be fixed. It will probably take a week before we get it back, but I can call you when it’s ready.”

Sure enough, a week later my computer was ready to pick up. But there was no time to blog now. My daughter’s twentieth birthday celebration was in a few days, and a week later we would be hosting Thanksgiving. I had a To Do list a mile long.

With each situation that took me away from accomplishing my goal, I began to experience an old, familiar feeling. I knew this feeling. I had experienced it many times in the course of my ministry leadership positions. When things wouldn’t go as planned, or when obstacles and challenges seemed to hang around as though they were an invited guest, I would immediately begin to doubt. I would find myself questioning if I was really doing what God was calling me to do. Maybe these constant obstacles I keep experiencing mean I’m suppose to be doing something else in life.

How often do we view the disruptions that happen in life as proof we must not be doing what God has called us to do? Do we sometimes view God as a construction worker who sets up road blocks in our path?  Do we convince ourselves God’s M.O. of letting us know we should be doing something else in life is to put some sort of obstacle in our way? Although, I suppose that could be possible, is there another way to look at life’s obstacles?

What about the captain of a ship who constantly endures rough seas, icebergs or hurricanes? Obviously, he could conclude, God clearly doesn’t want me to be the captain of a ship. He could choose to view the lack of calm waters as proof God must not be calling him to be a captain. Or, he could choose to view those rough waters as opportunities God is using to help him become an even better captain. Because of the numerous difficulties he has been facing at sea, this captain is learning to maneuver his ship through all sorts of challenges. He is becoming skilled at something he otherwise wouldn’t be mastering if he was only experiencing  smooth sailing.

Have you ever thought maybe–just maybe–the disruptions, the failed attempts, or the crises we experience in our leadership roles are really tools God is using to refine our skills? Like the sea captain, we can choose to view the obstacles we face as proof God is not calling us to lead. Or, we can choose to view those obstacles as opportunities God is using to help us become an even better leader.

Completing my L-O-N-G overdue blog post was a challenge. I questioned if I was ever going to get it done. But is it possible that through my recent challenge God was working something in me that needed to be fine tuned? I’m reminded of Philippians 1:6, “For He who began a good work in us will be faithful to bring it to completion.” It’s often the “completion” part that usually is not that pleasant. If you are anything like me, you may even find yourself asking God, “Do you really need to be that faithful?”

But because our God is that faithful, He is continually perfecting us–even through the imperfect circumstances that seem to get in the way of reaching our goals. Perhaps, maybe the real goal isn’t our perceived destination, but rather what we learn along the way.