When the power chair doesn't move, move on.

I don’t think I can count the number of times kids have walked into the grocery store, caught a glimpse of the power chairs waiting directly inside the doors, grinned from ear to ear, and then jumped on for a joy ride. Unfortunately, the power chairs provide little entertainment because in order to operate, there needs to be certain amount of weight present on the chair. Most kids don’t fulfill this weight requirement. The reason for this? Apparently the power chair manufactures did not think children could properly operate said power chairs. I have to believe their assumptions are correct. For the sake of our displays of breakable bottles of organic apple juice, it would be better if juveniles were not taking joy rides on motorized machinery around our less than spacious store premises.

Sometimes I see a power chair, get excited, and hop on for a joy ride. In other words, I see a possibility or have an idea that I want to pursue. But God has different plans, He’s put a minimum weight on the “power chair” that I don’t quite meet. He knows I cannot properly operate certain power chairs and prevents me from taking joy rides that would have a negative impact on my or others’ lives.

Just as the excited kids leave the unmoved power chair disappointed, I walk away from an unfulfilled possibility with aggravation, cynicism, or even anger. We are so nearsighted that we fail to see why the power chair doesn’t move. In reality, we will never know what would have happened if the power chair moved. Maybe the apple cider display would have come crashing down, maybe some little old lady would have been run over, maybe the pyramid of apples would have rolled themselves all over the produce department. But do we really need to know the “what if?” Sometimes it’s just good enough to know that God knows best.

The child in us doesn’t care in that moment about the potential disasters that could follow our joy ride. When failed opportunities pass by, we rarely consider the idea that maybe it was in our best interest.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

There is nothing in our lives that is not part of the Lord’s will. He knows what is best for us and which power chairs we cannot handle.

Rather than throwing a fit, skulking around, and missing out on other potential opportunities, it’s best to move on with the knowledge that God knows best. Not all the power chairs we encounter will bring us joy, but the fact that God cares enough to look out for our best interest is enough to keep me going.

When the power chair doesn’t move, move on.