This week is brought to you by the letter H, and the word hiccup. Hiccups are spontaneous spasms in the diaphragm usually triggered by an irritant — carbonation, eating too fast, stress, or sudden changes. They're annoying to say the least, and everyone has a go-to remedy to remove this nuisance. 

Personally, I will stare at myself in the mirror and drink 11 small sips of water while holding my breath. I become hyper-focused on eliminating the problem. What about you? What is your go-to remedy for those maddening hiccoughs?

The world record is held by Charles Osborne, who had a non-stop attack of hiccups for 68 years. Y'all, that is just insane! Thankfully, most of us will never experience that phenomenon. But we will encounter everyday interruptions.  

It could be an annoying attack brought on by gulping an ice-cold Chick-fil-A Coca-Cola (the best) or being frightened at a shocking point in a good-old-fashioned scary movie. But most likely, we'll face setbacks and encounter disruptions. Life is like that. Full of hiccupS. An interesting thought is that when we confront an internal or external attack, all our attention centers on the interference.

Jesus had numerous interruptions during His ministry. And like us, He usually fixed his attention on the problem. The Good Shepherd tenderly observed the problem and offered provision before moving on. In this passage, Jesus and His disciples are on the move, and a blind man cries out, “Have mercy on me!”.

[“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”]
Mark 10v51

Currently, I have a few snags in my story. Some are out of my control, but most I'm trying to solve independently. Nevertheless, I believe Jesus is tenderly observing my problems and asking me, “What do you want Me to do for you?” This doesn't mean He will give me the solution I desire, but I can shift MY focus off of the interruption and give to the One who holds the answer. 

hiccup. Hiccup. Hiccup. Instead of looking in the mirror and trying to eliminate the attack on your own, let's turn to Jesus. He's always up for an intrusion in order to show His power and provision where we fall short. 

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grateful —