Did you even know that’s possible? To never have a bad day?
It is.
It’s simply a matter of perspective.
Before you think I live a charmed life free of irritations and hardship, let me be clear: I have hard days and I experience difficult things. Do I ever get frustrated? Yes. Do I ever feel mad? Honestly, yes. Do things happen to me that I have absolutely zero control over? Again, yes.
But still, I never actually have a bad day.
I choose instead to take each circumstance that arises and say “This is for my good. How can I become a better person through this? What can I learn in this?”
Sometimes in the moment, I forget to say “It’s for my good” but it is an effective way to calm one’s self.
How do I know if a certain situation is or isn’t for my future good? We are not gifted with the ability to see the whole picture of our lives from beginning to end.
Take a look at this short Chinese story:
A farmer raised horses for a living. One day, he lost his prized horse. After hearing of the misfortune, his neighbors felt sorry for him and came to comfort him.
“What a shame. Now your best horse is gone. How unfortunate you are! How will you live, work the land and prosper?”
But the farmer simply asked, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?”
After a while, the lost horse returned with another beautiful horse. The neighbors came again and congratulated the farmer on his good fortune. “How lucky you are! You must be very happy!”
But the farmer simply asked, “How could we know it is not a bad thing for me?”
One day, the farmer’s son went out for a ride with the new horse. He was violently thrown from the horse and broke his leg. The neighbors once again expressed their condolences, “Oh, what a tragedy! Your son won’t be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You’ll have to do all the work yourself; how will you survive?”
But the farmer simply said, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?”
A few months later, the Emperor’s army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of his injury, the farmer’s son could not go off to war, and was spared from certain death. The villagers exclaimed: “What good fortune you have. Your son is the only young man left in the village.”
What more can be said?
Every event is part of a larger whole. So often we take bits and pieces of our lives and label them as “good” or “bad”. How often do we take into consideration the whole picture?
Romans 8:28 NIV says: “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
Check that out. Does it say “some things are for our good” or, “most things are for our good”? No!
All things work for our good when we love God.
On this side of life, we may never understand the “Why?” of certain circumstances in our lives; and we need to be OK with that. We also have to be OK with letting go of the right to understand. The right to have all the answers for things that have come our way.
This is one principle I’ve had much opportunity to practice. Here is just one example:
Our eldest daughter was born with a cleft palate and a dual pituitary gland. The first 5 years of her life were spent in and out of hospitals, specialist offices and therapy. She is an incredible blessing in our family and adds an enormous amount of joy, but some of those days were very difficult for us to walk through. There were times at the end of another Dr. visit, that I would sit out in the car and cry my eyes dry sobbing “Why God? Why do we have to go through this?”
Do I understand the “Why” behind any of this? No, I don’t. And I’m OK with that. I’ve ceased to ask “Why, God?” and have instead come to a place of trust that “All things work together for good, because I love Jesus.” Good for me, good for our family, good for my daughter.
Stop trying to explain the things that are out of your control. Stop trying to understand why some of the things happened in your life the way they did.
Let go of the right to understand. Instead, find a place of rest in trusting that God is orchestrating your life and has your good in mind. Learn how to love Jesus.
This isn’t only about big things in our lives; it can be applied to the smallest stuff as well. If it’s beyond your control, don’t stress it. It simply isn’t worth trying to figure out the “Why?”.
Embrace all the ‘good’ and all the ‘bad’, and leave it for Jesus to carry. Acknowledge the difficult things in your life. Find freedom by sharing with someone but ultimately give it to Jesus and say “I don’t know why you had me walk through this, but I trust that you only have my good in mind. Thank you for taking care of me.”
In conclusion:
The next time something happens that is out of your control, remember “…all things work together for the good of those who love God.”
Live it, breath it, practice it.
You won’t ever again have a bad day in your life.
Love you all!