And Your Setbacks into Comebacks.
Shortly after marrying Susan, a Canadian whom I had met in Bible college, she applied for permanent residency in the U.S. We planned to live in the U.S. and I assumed that by marrying a U.S. citizen it would be a simple matter for Susan to obtain permanent resident status.
We were both shocked when the immigration official in Dallas informed her that she would have to return to Canada. Her student visa was no longer valid, and she would have to apply for permanent residency at a U.S. consulate in her home country. She was deported!
I did not protest and scream at the immigration official that she was breaking up our marriage by sending Sue back to Canada. Such a response never crossed my mind because I was not reared to think that “I” am the center of the universe. Neither was Sue.
We then made plans to go to Sue’s hometown in New Brunswick, Canada where I would work for the summer while Sue applied for permanent residency in the U.S. We would be back in Texas by the fall—so we thought.
We arrived in Canada and I was confronted with the fact that Canada also had immigration laws. I could not work unless I applied and was approved for permanent resident status in Canada.
So, in order to have income, I applied for permanent resident status in Canada. My application was approved but I was informed that because of custom regulations I could only keep my vehicle in Canada for three weeks.
So, I drove across the border and sold my Dodge R/T for much less than it was worth and asked my new mother-in-law to make the 300+ mile drive and pick me up.
My world had been turned upside down because of immigration laws. Here I am in a foreign country with no vehicle and living with my new in-laws. This was definitely not how I had planned it.
Neither Sue nor I ever thought of complaining about immigration laws. We took what life handed us and made the most of it. We turned our lemons into lemonade and our scars into stars.
When I see people spitting and screaming at law-enforcement officials and disrupting church services because of immigration laws, they strike me as spoiled, petulant children who were reared to think they are the center of the universe. Don’t be like them! Trust God!!!
We lived in Canada for eight years and it turned out to be a wonderful time. We saw so many miracles and answers to prayer during that time and saw so many lives transformed. Sue’s entire family came to Christ during that time, and we made many life-long friends. I would not take for those eight unexpected years in Canada.
In hindsight, it is obvious that God providentially orchestrated our steps like He did for Joseph who was carried against his will to Egypt (Gen. 37-45). Now, 42 years later, and after 50 years of marriage, we are living in Texas where we began our life together. God is good and life could not be better.
So, if you have experienced disappointment of some sort, let me encourage you to turn your eyes on Jesus and ask Him for His wisdom to guide you through the situation. You will find your stumbling blocks turned into stepping stones and your setbacks into comebacks. You will find the satisfaction that only comes from knowing Him and trusting Him in every situation.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, revivalist and ordained minister with over 50 years of ministerial experience. He and his wife of 50 years, Dr. Susan Hyatt, reside in Grapevine, TX where they carry on a ministry of writing, teaching, preaching and publishing, Eddie has authored over 25 books, such as 1726: The Year that Defined America, which documents America's overt Christian birth out of the First Great Awakening, and Discovering the Real Jesus, which is a biblical and historical examination of who Jesus really is and His impact on world history.
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