When Unexpected Things Happen

What do you do when life throws the unexpected your way? This week, I share a personal tale that tested my faith and patience—when my beloved dog, Eli, swallowed a spatula top just before Thanksgiving. Navigating the whirlwind of emotions and financial stress that accompanied his emergency surgery, I leaned on scripture and prayer to find solace and guidance. Eli’s escapade served as a poignant reminder to cherish and be attentive to all members of our family, even the furry ones, and how moments of chaos can bring us closer to understanding God’s ever-present guidance.

Join me as we explore scripture passages from Luke, Matthew, and 2 Corinthians that teach us to embrace life's surprises with grace and faith. In this heartfelt episode, I share how Eli's ordeal reminded me of the importance of being present and attentive, and how this unexpected event allowed me to reflect on my broader faith journey. My hope is to inspire you to trust in divine plans, and to find comfort knowing that God's presence is unwavering, even in the most unpredictable of times.

Key passages:

Luke 1:11-20

Luke 1:24-25

Luke 1:26-38

Matthew 1:18-24

2 Corinthians 1:10

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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 32. This week's devotional is titled when Unexpected Things Happen, let's go. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart my journey and love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hawk Podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:30

This is a weekly devotional. I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, god worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith, woven together with scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within.

Speaker 1: 1:14

Episode 32, when Unexpected Things Happen. Key passages Luke 1, 11-20, luke 1.24-25, luke 1.26-38, matthew 1.18-24,. 2 Corinthians 1.10. Hey, everyone, hope everybody's having an awesome week. Thank you for being here. For those that don't know, I wrote my first ebook devotional titled 25 Days Till Christmas, birth of Jesus Christ, and it's a daily devotional leading all the way up to Christmas. If you're following along, you should be between days 9 through 14. And today, on the podcast, I'm going to touch on a few of those subjects of the devotional because it just connects so well with what I wanted to share today. So here we go.

Speaker 1: 2:00

Today, I wanted to dive into a topic that I think we all wrestle with what do we do when unexpected things happen? Let me start by sharing a personal story. Of course, some of you might have caught this on social media, but a couple of weeks ago, right before Thanksgiving, my dog, eli, my wonderful dog, did the unthinkable. He swallowed the top of a rubber spatula yes, a spatula. I freaked out. I freaked out. Here's how it happened.

Speaker 1: 2:35

Eli was in the kitchen watching our babysitter make guacamole for dinner. She had just finished mixing it and was heading to the sink to wash the spatula. As she walked, eli snatched it right out of her hand and wouldn't let go. I ran over saying drop it, drop it. Over and over again, but he wouldn't budge. After about 45 seconds, which felt like hours, he finally let go. But when I grabbed the handle, the top of the spatula was gone. He had swallowed it. I was in complete shock. Eli is such a good dog, why would he do this? I immediately called the vet and they told me to take him to the emergency clinic. As I sat in the waiting room, I called my mom and the tears just started flowing. I felt like I'd failed my dog.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Since my daughter came home, eli has been fighting for attention. I stopped walking him regularly, taking him to daycare or giving him the love he was used to. He noticed a difference in this spatula situation was his way of acting out. In that moment I just prayed and I said God, I'm listening. I don't understand why this is happening right now, but I'm listening.

Speaker 1: 3:55

Eli ended up needing emergency surgery. They had to cut open his stomach to get the spatula out because it was so big, and he stayed in the hospital for two days. He missed Thanksgiving with us and the bill the bill? It was over $5,000. Now you all know how finances stress me out. I've talked about it on this devotional before. I hated having to put that bill on a credit card, but I had no choice. I just had to trust God in this situation. Thankfully, we have pet insurance and it covered 82% of the bill. Thank you, lord.

Speaker 1: 4:37

This unexpected moment taught me something Eli is my responsibility. He's family and I have been neglecting him. This was a wake-up call for me to prioritize him again. Eli has been part of some of the most greatest moments in my life and I owe him that love and affection. So here's the bigger picture. Unexpected situations test us. They challenge our faith and force us to lean on God. When we let our trust in him dip, it can delay the blessings he's trying to give us.

Speaker 1: 5:20

This got me thinking about the key players in the story of Christ's birth. They, too, faced unexpected situations. Let's take a look. Number one Zechariah, which you can find in Luke 1, 11 through 20. An angel told Zechariah his wife, elizabeth, would have a child in her old old age, and he doubted it. And because of his lack of faith, the angel told him he would make him mute until the baby John was born. Number two Elizabeth, zechariah's wife. You can find her story within Luke 1, 24 to 25. And it says that Elizabeth became pregnant in her old age, something she probably never expected, but she praised God and was thankful for his faithfulness because her and Zechariah were never able to have children before. Number three Mary Find in Luke 1. 26 to 28. 26 to 38. When the angel Gabriel told her she would conceive the savior of the world, she was troubled, just like any of us would be, but she accepted God's plan, she accepted her role and she praised him.

Speaker 1: 6:35

Number four Joseph. In Matthew 1, 18 through 24, we learn that Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, and not by him. He initially planned to divorce her quietly, but trusted God. After he was given a dream and he decided to trust God, like I said, and he took Mary as his wife, supporting her through it all. Each of these people responded to their unexpected situations in ways that showed trust in God. Zechariah listened and learned patience by being mute. Elizabeth praised God for her blessing of being pregnant at an old age. Mary accepted her role and believed in God's promise that she would, you know, bear the Savior. And Joseph followed God's instructions and carried on in obedience, being Mary's husband.

Speaker 1: 7:29

So what about us when life throws us a curveball? Do our actions reflect trust in God? Do we take a step back and view him as the ultimate caretaker, the one who always has a plan. When I look back at my situation with Eli, I see that surrendering my fear and frustration to God was the only way I could handle it and guess what he provided through the pet insurance, through the lessons I needed to learn and even through Eli's full recovery. Through the lessons I needed to learn and even through Eli's full recovery, walking the dog more has subsided my stress levels. Honestly, it's benefited us both and I kind of felt like me and my dog have gotten closer again.

Speaker 1: 8:15

So the key things I want you to take from these passages and people in Christ's birth story when unexpected things occur, some of the things you should take away First one is to be silent and listen. Next one, to praise God. Next one, to be accepting of your role in God's plan and last, to be obedient and follow Friends. We're all God's children and we each handle things differently, but one thing remains the same we serve a God who delivers. God delivers regardless of the unexpected circumstance, if we have faith to prove it.

Speaker 1: 9:00

To wrap up this devotional, I wanted to share a verse that I found that was just spot on Second Corinthians 1 10. It says he has delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us again. On him, we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us Such a perfect verse to end this session right. And you know what else? Also, during this Christmas season, let's not forget the greatest gift God has delivered to us, and that is the birth of Jesus Christ. Let's pray, father. I thank you for who you are. I praise you for every miracle and for handling the unexpected situations in my life and the lives of those listening right now. I pray. This podcast reminds us to trust you in every situation, even when it feels messy or uncertain. Just like Zachariah, elizabeth, mary and Joseph help us to listen, praise, accept and follow. As we celebrate this Christmas season, may we remember the greatest gift you gave us Jesus. Thank you for your faithfulness. Lord, in Jesus' name, we always pray amen. Thanks for tuning in.

Speaker 1: 10:21

If you want to dive deeper into the unexpected moments surrounding Christ's birth, check out my e-book. 25 Days Till Christmas Birth of Jesus Christ. It's a daily devotional and right now we're between the days of day number 9 through 14. Link is available in the footnotes or on my website, jessimorganhomecom. Slash devotions. I'll see you next time, god bless. Well, that wraps up this week's episode. I hope these devotions help you draw closer to God each day. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need the same message, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode. For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessimorganhomecom or find me on Instagram at jessimorganlife. Remember God's timing is always perfect. Keep trusting him Until next time. This is Jessi Morgan praying off.