Pushed Aside for God’s Greater Glory - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 24
Pushed Aside for God’s Greater Glory
By Keri Eichberger
Bible Reading:
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36
I dealt with a disappointment alongside one of my teenage kids last night. It wasn’t the first time we’d mulled over a similar circumstance. And to be honest, I don’t even need to mention which kid and what the exact situation was. Because on most days, at least one of the few confesses a struggle with feeling overlooked by a coach, teacher, fellow student, or even a good friend. And as you may very well know, it can be painful to walk through such insecure moments with a child or someone you love. We want so much for them to be seen for the genuine potential that we see. The bottom line is that we hurt deeply when our people get hurt. And what makes it hit even harder is that we also know exactly how it feels to feel slighted. How much it hurts when we appear to be underappreciated and pushed aside.
You know this exact feeling, don’t you? You’ve walked beside someone who has endured this rough road, and you have had many firsthand accounts of the sting of rejection, too. Maybe there’s a situation in your midst at this very moment that seems unfair, and you’re not quite receiving the treatment and attention you believe your intentions and efforts deserve. I’m there. As I navigate, I wonder why something I’ve poured into has been pushed aside while others’ seemingly parallel efforts are paying off.
It wasn’t until this morning that the conversation opened about the disappointment with said child. Allowing time for the ache of the wound to subside. But when the confession of exclusion finally surfaced this morning, I was ready to offer consoling words of apology for the letdown that must have been. And once I’d provided space for my comforts to sink in, I knew the truth needed to be spoken to redeem some damage done, truly. A truth I was not so coincidentally studying that prior morning about God’s authority and reasonable plan for the overlooked moments of our lives—a truth we all need to hold on to.
While listening to a video teaching by bible teacher Kelly Minter, she stated, “Don’t mistake being passed over by a person for being passed over by God.” Kelly was working through the book of Esther and recounting the story of Mordecai being honored for saving the King’s life. But here’s the thing: Mordecai had saved the King’s life two years prior, without hinting to his rescuer during that entire duration. Can you imagine saving the literal life of a prominent person and no one noticing? I don’t know about you, but saving someone’s life doesn’t compare to what I’ve felt overlooked for. But eventually, after two years of probably thinking he’d take his deed to the grave, the King was divinely informed. Then, they celebrated and honored Mordecai so extravagantly that it made the whole kingdom aware. You see, what may have seemed pushed aside and passed over was never actually passed over by God. He just had a bigger and better plan. The truth we need to take with us is this: God always has ultimate authority and is always interested in a redemption story that gives him the greatest glory.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
God’s goal of glory tells me that when you, I, or someone we love feels slighted and overlooked, when maybe it doesn’t even seem fair or deserved, there is purpose in each pain point. Yes, in each less-than-ideal instance in our lives, God could have allowed a different scenario that may have been more pleasing to us in the moment. But the way whatever happened has happened is part of a perfect plan for the best outcome. For his good and a more favorable outcome.
For God’s good reason, he has allowed things to go down just as they have. And I hope we can be encouraged today that this is good. He sees what we don’t. He considers the radical redemption in the works. He sees the glory that has already come and that he is orchestrating, which will continue to come. And how he writes the beginning and middle of our stories prepares the most incredible ending for his greatest glory.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Jantanee Rungpranomkorn
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