When God Flips the Switch

The voicemail was less than two minutes long. It was intended to hurt and to arouse guilt and fear.

For a few hours, it succeeded. In that time I felt, thought, and prayed my way through it all.

Then God stepped in and “flipped the switch,” giving me the miracle of several shifts in perspective.

(I wrote before about how we can deliberately “flip the switch” from positive to negative. But sometimes we need God to do it, because we don’t know how or we’re too upset to remember to do it. That’s the time to pray and ask God to open your eyes to a different way of seeing.)

First, I became grateful and somewhat amused by the timing of it. My cell phone for some weird reason does not deliver voice messages in a timely way. This particular voicemail was recorded on Monday; I received it on Friday. And this morning I got six voice messages, one from two weeks ago! (That, by the way, was from the same person who sent the poison voicemail I referenced first.)

Had I received either of these voice messages when they were sent, it would have been worse timing.

Second, what was said helped me understand some family dynamics that were not clear to me before now. It explained the vague sense of guilt that I’ve felt most of my life. I went to work right away with my tools for healing and shifting energy and perspective, and they worked!

That brief communication also helped me understand the perspective of the person who left it. Though the toxic elements of the relationship require me to set a strong boundary in terms of interaction, I can and do pray for the person. He’d never believe it, or understand my reasons for my actions, but I can’t help that. Some situations are just impossible to fix.

I also reached out to some friends and family members who have followed this particular trial I’m facing, and their support was wonderful. Amazingly, one friend is going through her own version of the same thing I am, at the same time. We marveled at God’s grace in taking two bad situations and bringing some good out of them, in terms of the closeness and support we feel towards one another and the lessons we’re learning.

Another friend, who is following this difficult situation closely, told me what she’s learning from sharing my healing journey with me. That was a blessing. She has been such a support to me, yet my insecure little inner child has sometimes worried that I was being a burden to her.

My husband, who was very troubled by the voicemails, felt greatly heartened when I shared the above perspectives with him. That too was a grace, rippling out.

I suppose yet another blessing is it gives me something to write about now! I’m sure you’ve had to wrestle with a situation where someone tried to deliberately hurt or trigger you. Perhaps you too can pray for God to “flip the switch” and open your eyes to some of the ways he is using it for good.

The Bible story of Joseph comes to mind, where he tells his brothers who had sold him into slavery, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to bring about this present result” (Genesis 50:20). God “flipped the switch” and used everything in this situation for more healing and growth, not only for me but others. (Including, I hope, you!)

Which is just like God. It’s him fulfilling his own job description from Revelation 21:5: “Behold, I am making all things new.” His hand is ever poised on the switch, ready to flip it whenever we ask in faith.

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