Have you ever had a day that simply did not go in the direction you expected? We all have, and sometimes it can feel like the world is actually working against you. Typically, those feelings come from our disappointment and frustration, but occasionally, we really are on the receiving end of the world’s animosity, or experiencing the results of sin in the world.
It is not because we are necessarily bad people, or because we have done something to deserve the negativity coming our way. In fact, like the biblical figure Job, we be completely righteous, yet still experience obstacles and attacks we do not deserve.
As people of faith, we make a decision to align ourselves with God and the principles of his kingdom. In that decision, we open ourselves to the blessings God has in store for those who love him and seek to grow into his likeness. At the same time, by our choice, we set ourselves in opposition to that which opposes God, which often means that our direction will be different from the world around us and we may, in fact, end up swimming upstream against the flow of the world.
So, when we find ourselves working through a day that seems to be working against us, we should ask ourselves, “Are the challenges of this day the result of the way in which I chose to live when I chose to follow God?”
Other days, our struggle is the result of the brokenness that exists in our world. The fractured systems that surround us open doorways for us to experience injustice and inequity, often having nothing to do with what we’ve done, or left undone. We simply feel the painful result of sin in the world.
While these moments can be frustrating, even painful, they are also wonderful opportunities for us to turn to God for strength and direction, to identify with others in the world who experience such pain and injustice as a part of daily life, and to be challenged to become agents of grace and change in the world. We can allow ourselves to be moved by our own circumstances to make a positive, holy change in the circumstances of others.
For those other times, when we are simply disappointed that life went a direction we did not expect. We can choose to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us virtues through our challenges. We can deepen patience and humility when we are forced to wait longer than we expected. We can heighten our compassion when we feel slighted by others. We can look for blessings in new places when our plans do not work out. In each and every moment, we can discover something new and, if we maintain a teachable spirit, we can grow through our experiences.
Such awareness is not easy. I know that I frequently chafe when things do not go the way I expect, when I lose my free time or when my plans are uprooted. I struggle when I am on the receiving end of hurtful, unfair actions, and I do not enjoy struggling against the flow of the world when I would like to be like everyone else.
However, I know that I love God and that God loves me. I know that I want to become the person I was created to be and embrace the fullness of my destiny. I know that I want to make a difference in the world and to make my life a blessing. This is where I seek to keep my focus, even in the midst of chaos. I still fail many times, but I keep pressing forward because the goal is worth it.
As you embrace the day God gives you, I invite you to put your whole trust in his grace and look to him to give you the strength to face whatever is before you. The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and you can too. Be strong in the Lord. Trust in him and he will direct your paths, even if they go through the dark and challenging valley.
