Setback? or "New Thing"?

On Friday we received some discouraging news. The school that Allison attends and where we had hoped to register Jonathan in kindergarten in the fall may not be able to accept him. Kindergarten enrollment is expected to be unusually high this year, and because it is a Catholic school and Catholic children take priority, the school may not be able to accommodate Jonathan-- particularly since he has some developmental delays and might require assistance in the classroom.

This was hard to hear because we love the school so much and we see the obvious benefit of Allison and Jonathan attending the same school. Allison has looked forward to Jonathan coming; she has said, "I can be a kinder-helper when I'm in grade 4, so I can help Jonathan!" I hate to think of that dream not coming true. But the reality is that (while the school will not be making a final decision until June) we need to start looking at other options and exploring other schools in our area, specifically in the public school board.

This was on my mind all weekend. On Sunday when we arrived at church, we found that there was going to be a guest preacher, a missionary who has worked in the Philippines since 1967. Because our pastor is such a thoughtful and insightful speaker, I felt a moment of disappointment upon hearing that someone else would be preaching. But what the missionary had to say spoke directly to me. He preached from Isaiah 43, which includes these words in verse 19:

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
And streams in the wasteland.

This verse encouraged me to remember that God has Jonathan in His hands, that He is already making a way for Jonathan to attend school and learn and develop, and that if His plans for Jonathan do involve pursuing a "new thing," then we can trust it will all work out.