Crisis Mode

In an article that I was reading this morning, I was reminded that, in Chinese, the word for "crisis" is actually a combination of two words--danger and opportunity.  Think about that!  So, here's my question, "Why are we so good at seeing the danger in a crisis, but so poor at realizing any opportunity in the same crisis?"

Today's Old Testament reading from the One Year Bible focuses on Moses, an incredible leader who was constantly moving from one crisis to another.  Several days after literally walking through a river on dry ground and seeing their pursuing enemy "hurled into the sea", the Israelites are without water.  When they DO happen upon water, it is undrinkable because of bitterness.  The people, not so different from us today, quickly turn on their leader and begin complaining with very loud voices.  Interestingly, Moses doesn't make any attempt to defend himself.  He doesn't make a round on the talk show circuit.  He doesn't hire a public relations firm, rather he cries out to the Lord for help (Exodus 15:25).

Now this is where things get REALLY interesting.  In the middle of praying, God shows Moses a piece of wood.  Think about that.  Moses is praying this really passionate, religious, desperate prayer, and God keeps drawing his attention to a piece of WOOD!  How absurd!  Yet, Moses pauses long enough to listen for God's prompting, and now he senses that he is supposed to pick up this "log" and throw it into the water.  So, Moses does it.  And the water becomes drinkable.  In the midst of danger, there is opportunity.

So, what's the big deal?  I wonder how many times I am so freaked out by my crises--I mean projectile tears, passionate prayers, and the whole ball of wax--that I don't have eyes to see what God wants me to see.  He's pointing my attention to a log, and I'm starting to wig-out because He's not answering my prayer!  Honestly, I get so focused on the danger and the emotions involved with the situation, that I don't have time to see any opportunity that might be lying right between my eyes.  Ultimately, I excuse away the counter intuitive "opportunity" as being utterly useless.  I want to get better at seeing the opportunities that God has for me in the midst of my crises situations.