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re you happy when something doesn't work out for you? You say, "Are you crazy? No, I'm not happy when things don't work out! Should I be?" Personally, I think there is too much grieving in the world over things that don't go the way we think they should. If we have even a little faith, we should know that scripture says that some good comes of everything that is approached through a higher trust; faith. (Romans 8:28) Now my intent is not to make you a faith filled person; it is not my call in life. Rather, I believe my call is to bring attention to Truth. I have learned that Truth leads to faith. Faith causes us to acknowledge there is something bigger than ourselves that directs our lives. As I have referenced before, there is a Divine Intent at work in our everyday experiences, but we have to choose to look for it. I believe this Divine Intent is the Lord. In faith, there is good that can come from everything when approached the right way, though often it may not be visible right away.
As an example, let's say you had a goal; something you wanted, planned for, worked for, but it did not turn out the way you had planned. Perhaps the good is that it did not work out. You're thinking, "So, what can be good about that?" Perhaps you learned a lesson or discovered a critical insight that saved you from a future mistake. Perhaps your course in life was directed to a better good and strength was found that you didn't know you had. Perhaps you met someone who will be a lasting friend.
I would suggest to quit looking to be happy and start looking to be joyful! You see, happy typically is associated with acquiring something or achieving something. Joyful is the condition of resilience no matter what happens. Several years ago I spent a few days at the Edison complex in Fort Myers, Florida. This complex was where Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors of all time, spent the last years of his life. He was experimenting with all kinds of ideas in the hope of finding one that would work. His purpose was to invent things that would make life easier. Inventions such as: the light bulb, the phonograph and the telephone. The history books attribute over a thousand patents to Edison, however he admitted that good came out of every attempt, even if the attempt did not bring immediate resolution. He made over a thousand attempts to invent the light bulb alone and each attempt was just a corrective step on a path to light the world.
So what good has come from the goals you have set that you didn't reach? What good has come out of the failures? I believe finding some good in everything is a character of the human condition that needs to be fostered in all of us.
WOW, that's good! Thank you Lord for redirecting my efforts to the path that I should be on, even if I cannot yet see the end result.
