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Debbie and I recently were privileged to hear the testimony of Gail McWilliams. Her story has many twists and turns to it, but the core of her testimony is that she made repeated choices to give birth to each of her five children, despite the dramatically adverse effects each pregnancy had on her eyesight. Gail tells some humorous, yet powerful stories of living in the absence of sight—stories which are brought to a startling reality as she introduces her family. She has had the opportunity to travel around the world, sharing her testimony. Those who hear her story should be prepared for a personal attitude adjustment.

Her husband, Tony, has been incredibly supportive, and his own story has its twists and turns. I love when he tells of being invited to speak to a leadership seminar hosted by Zig Ziglar, the renowned “positive thinking” entrepreneur. Tony was stuck in Dallas traffic and soon realized that he was not going to make it to his speaking engagement. He phoned ahead and was told that they completely understood and would reschedule him at another time. He was understandably frustrated, as most of us would have been.

In front of him, a car door opened and a woman stepped out. Appearing desperate, she screamed as she opened the back door of her car. Tony got out of his car and went to help her. As he approached her car, he saw the limp, nearly lifeless body of a child in the back seat. He took the child in his arms, and even as paramedics administered treatment, he held the child securely. The child revived and was taken to the hospital.

Tony distinctly remembers the life lesson he realized as he slipped back into his car: we are never really “stuck,” and we should never feel helpless. Instead, we should consider the possibility that we have been “divinely positioned.” Sounds like a Paul and Silas kind of story. Imagine the group of jailers and their families that we will meet in heaven because some believers were arrested for their faith! Do you think God knew what He was doing?

I’m just glad the Lord doesn’t let us rewrite the story every time we’re frustrated or don’t understand or can’t see the whole picture. The Apostle Paul’s exhortation to “seek those things which are above” (Colossians 3:1) was all about perspective. Even man’s noble attempt to track location (we call it a GPS, Global Positioning System) pales in comparison to the DPN (Divine Positioning Network). Try it! It’s free and you don’t even need an Internet connection!

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” -Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)

served as the president of The Foursquare Church from 2009-2020.
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