Day 75 - Rahab and the Spies

Monday, 1/26/09, Day 75, Joshua 2:1-24, When you confront obstacles, are you more likely to see them as problems or opportunities?

Rahab took a great risk when she defied her own government to shield the Israelite scouts. She could have given up the men to the soldiers and become a great heroine in her own land. Instead, she chose to see her situation as an opportunity to protect herself and her family for the future. And God blessed her descendants beyond her own wildest dreams.

Rahab's actions remind me of the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family, who, during WWII, hid Jews and others from the Nazis. They saved 800 Jews and several Dutch underground workers from certain death. Several of her family members died in Nazi prisons because of their life work to protect others and lead them to Christ. Even in prison, she saw opportunities to live for the Lord. You can read her story on the web at http://www.corrietenboom.com/history.htm. She wrote The Hiding Place to tell their story of faith in action.

I am nothing like Rahab and Corrie. I often see obstacles as problems first. It usually takes me a while to contemplate, to mull over an obstacle before I begin to see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth and building character. The funny thing is, it's easier for me to see someone else's problems as opportunities than it is for me to see my own in the same way. Sometimes, it just takes someone else to bring me to the better perspective.