Finding the Good in the Bad

He was sad because his new friend was so bloodthirsty.³² 

Charlotte’s ways, at first untenable to Wilbur, became the means of his escape from doom. The web that horrified him contained the elements that saved him. 

Who has habits you cannot accept? Or what impossible circumstances are you in? Can you begin to imagine how any of those things could be beneficial—the job, marriage, friendship, rejected manuscript, rebellious child, death, infertility, the angered sibling, lost wealth, lost health, lost independence, lost career, the clique, the church division, the cancel, whatever Jesus didn’t do as you had expected, hoped for, and counted on? 

It’s bitterness after disappointment that causes us to lose our way. It’s the broken heart and grief, not the event itself, that keeps us from seeing the next step. Grieving shouldn’t be dismissed, minimized, or chided by others or by ourselves. Our Lord grieved, and while we’re here, we will also experience sorrow—and it may be profound. 

But to find our grief eased and to rediscover joy takes perspective, healing, and sometimes the right counselor. In day-to-day life, how we think about things will either lead to the loss of hope or to a hope that makes us flourish and be fruitful. God gives grace for every situation, including the most distressing and perplexing circumstances and even the mundane. 

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Heb. 12:15). 

Prayer: Dear Father, I don’t have the faith today to believe this loss or challenge will work for my good. But I do believe You are good and that You oversee all things. Give me the faith and clear vision to take the next step. I lay this event at the cross and look for Your way to resurrect goodness in my life. I cry out to You.