Sometimes we go through something in our lives and we think it’s a curse.
In Exodus 3:7 and 10, God tells Moses, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering…. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (NIV).
After God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they started to complain, “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death’” (Exo 16:2-3). They saw their situation as a “curse” rather than a blessing. They forgot what it was like to be a slave under the harsh rule of Pharaoh.
A couple of years ago I went to the doctor for a regular checkup. My blood pressure was high and my blood test showed that I was on the verge of having high cholesterol. I was also overweight. I remember praying to God to help me lose weight because I feared for my health. A few days later I contracted a stomach virus but after a while I thought I was better so I ate a pepperoni pizza. That night it felt like my stomach had erupted and lava was shooting upwards into my throat.
I saw the doctor in the morning and he told me that I had acid reflux\GERD and that I had to go on medication for an extended period of time to heal my esophagus. He also told me that I couldn’t eat all the foods that I was accustomed to eating—foods like fried chicken, pizza, hot dogs\sausage, chocolate bars, ice cream, and spaghetti with sauce. I was devastated and depressed. It was a difficult year of adjusting—I complained constantly about not being able to eat.
It has been almost two years since I received that diagnosis and I see now that what I felt was a “curse” (not being able to eat these foods) was really a blessing. I lost almost 35 pounds, my blood pressure is normal, and I have no issues with my cholesterol.
After 40 years of being in the wilderness, I think the Israelites finally realized that God had blessed them—He saved them from a life of oppression, He guided them day and night on their journey, and provided food and water for them. What they thought was a “curse” was really a blessing.
What are your complaints? Can it be a “blessing in disguise”?
Dr. T's Food for Thought 