Blessings in disguise often take time to unfold; perhaps you have experienced this firsthand. When the Lord brings a blessing out of a difficult situation, it is like turning the light on in a dark room.
After our oldest daughter spent nine weeks in seventh grade, we realized her school was negatively affecting her and our family. A once model child had turned in the wrong direction, and there was no other school to transfer to. My wife did not like the idea of home-schooling, but we knew we had to do something.
With much prayer, we enrolled our daughter in an online Christian school that had just started that fall. No one was thrilled, but everyone agreed to try this. We began with copious amounts of tears. At the end of the school year, our daughter made significant gains academically and spiritually. In retrospect, God gave us a fantastic gift, but initially, it did not seem that way. It was a blessing in disguise.
Simon Received a Blessing in Disguise
As we journey through life, it is not unusual for the Lord to give us blessings in disguise. In our story, Simon of Cyrene experienced a blessing in disguise. Luke 23:26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.[1] Simon was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover and had traveled over 700 miles from Cyrene. Cyrene is located in Libya in northern Africa. At the time, it had a sizeable Jewish population.
Put yourself in the sandals of Simon. You completed a long journey to come to the Passover Feast in Jerusalem. A large crowd gathered, and you were curious about what was happening. You glimpsed a man carrying a cross as you moved through the crowd. Jesus could no longer carry the cross, so a Roman soldier grabbed you and ordered you to carry it. You wondered why you had to get so close. As you carried the cross, it was cumbersome, and finally, you got to the place of crucifixion. There, the soldier ordered you to put down the cross, and you were free to go, exhausted and sweaty.
Have You Received a Blessing in Disguise?
How did this affect Simon along his faith journey? Only one person was chosen to carry the actual cross of Jesus, which was Simon. If Simon became a believer in Jesus as his Savior, he would have reflected on carrying the cross as one of the greatest gifts he ever received. The Scriptures don’t give any more details about his life, and we don’t want to speculate.
Romans 8:28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” [2] What is the Lord saying through this verse? If we take time to look, God brings blessings out of dark situations for people of faith. Only God could do something like that! What blessings in disguise has the Lord given you, and how did they affect you? To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/light-in-the-last-hour
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Lk 23:26). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 8:28). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.