All things happen for a [good] reason...
As the title suggests, I'm a believer of the 'all things happen for a reason' idea. We don't always see the reason right away, in fact, it might take years for us to realize it or see exactly how God has shaped our lives, and the lives of those around us.
Bad things happen, of course. So do good things. While this post will not be nearly as long as I'd like it to be, I'll try to be as concise as possible. Of course bad things happen, that's called life. Are we immune to it? No. It's easy to think that you have it terrible and no one has it worse than you. It's easy to think that God has abandoned you or that he set you aside to forget about you for a while. What we don't always realize (sometimes not immediately), is that all bad things happen for a good reason, whether the reason is realized immediately or not.
There are millions of examples regarding why things happen: My family & I had to leave our country in 1989 as war refugees. Many things, a lot of bad, and a lot of good, have happened during those times. Some of the 'bad' were very bad, and some of the good were very good. This might seem irrelevant since I'm not detailing the good things that happened as a result, but the most clear one is that we came to this country, the US, and are alive.
Recently we lost our house in Orlando (by recently, I mean that tomorrow (the 30th of June, 2008) is the final day we own the house). Now this is bad. We're not the only ones being affected by this recession, but we pray and keep our heads up. God will protect us.
Whenever bad things happen, I immediately think to myself "God, what are you trying to tell me? Where are you trying to guide me?" Again, it may take years for us to realize, but God is always there, and does not abandon us. We have to step back and look at the bigger picture. Usually, situations aren't about us, so we needn't be selfish and think of ourselves.
From the Prince of Egypt sound track:
"A single thread in a tapestry
Through its color brightly shine
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design"
Meaning that a single unit in a grander design doesn't always see what its use is, but it's important and shouldn't be underestimated.
I came to Gainesville with the girl I dated for five years and we broke up some time in 2006. I won't go into details, but needless to say, I was sad. I thought 'why did I move here?' and 'it's a waste of time, there's nothing here for me.' It wasn't until two years after that happened, that I got more acquainted with St. A's and its people, and I'm glad I did. I've touched so many lives and my life has been touched by so many. I can't even imagine what it would be like to not have the wonderful people in my life. I didn't think I'd be in the position/situation I'm in now, but God will protect us, no matter what.
Perhaps these are short or inconsequential stories, but remember my main point, that God is with us, and that we need to remember that always. Today, I heard a homily about how there's a difference between being "alone," and feeling "lonely." Alone is a state of being, where you're without others. Lonely is a state of mind where you feel empty. Many of us have felt both at any given time, but the worse time is when we feel both alone and lonely. Careful, the tempter is around when these situations occur.
Remember the footprints in the sand? Think of this when you’re having tough times. Of course we’ll be sad and cry and suffer, but these are tests God puts us through to make us stronger, to make us appreciate the smaller things in life, or the people we sometimes take for granted. Remember, look at the bigger picture. While many of you might not agree with the following example, it's still a good example:
People have been dying of thirst and water in third world countries for a long time. How can this be fair? Where is God? Why doesn’t he just fix things? Well, here’s the kicker: God works through us. Yes. It’s not God’s responsibility to make the wrongs turn right in this life, that’s for us to do. We need to take care of one another, love one another, and find ways to do good. The inventor of the Segway invented a device that has the potential to get us one step closer to diminishing disease, sickness, even death in these countries He invented a portable, relatively inexpensive, and fast water purifier. This device, invented by Dean Kamen, is featured on the Colbert Report.
There are a ton of examples out there as to how the principle of all things happening for a good reason exists, and a lot more real-world issues that still need fixing. 7th Heaven (some of you may remember this TV show) had an episode when a family lost their home, and they sought a job. One woman was getting older and in need of help around the house, and it ended up being that the family moved in with her until they could get their feet on the ground, and helped her out in the meantime. Everyone won.
Scrubs (another TV show) has one episode where a little girl is brought in from a stab wound. One skeptic said that there is no good reason for that. They did an MRI and found the girl had a tumor next to the wound, and they were able to cure her. True, these may be over dramatized with results happening quicker than in real life, but even little things happen. Before leaving for Orlando this past weekend, I needed to feed my turtles. I was all packed up, ready to go when I felt thirsty. I went to my fridge to get some water when I saw the crab meat I give my kids. I quickly remembered that I needed to feed them, and I thanked God for reminding me. Little things, big things, and everything in between happen for reasons like this.
Be more conscious of these things, think of God more, and give Him thanks for how wonderful He is, and how intricate His plan is. Got turned down/rejected by someone you like? Maybe God’s protecting you from being with them for His own reasons. I lost my license due to point suspension and haven’t been able to drive. That’s terrible, since I love driving, and I enjoy my car…a lot! But a lot of good things have come out of that, like I’m exercising more, I have been able to bond with friends, focus more on my responsibilities, instead of trying to take friends out (this can get very expensive, very fast). There’s no way I can afford insurance right now, or gas for my car, so in essence, I’m being protected from certain things (for all I know, even a car accident, etc.)
Perhaps I’m too much of an optimist and love God a lot; I don’t know…but I know that this philosophy has helped me live a great, happy life…even in the face of terrible things (like when I almost got evicted last week because I couldn’t afford to pay rent). But I stay positive and thank God for the things and people I do have in my life.
If you’ve read up to this point, then I’m glad. God bless you.
To finish off, I’m going to direct you to a track by DMX. True, he’s a rapper, but in his albums, he always includes a heartfelt prayer, and I admit that I like them. Listen to the song, it’s called Ready to Meet Him. You can also read along with the lyrics.
Peace.
© Raul Fernandez 2008
Bad things happen, of course. So do good things. While this post will not be nearly as long as I'd like it to be, I'll try to be as concise as possible. Of course bad things happen, that's called life. Are we immune to it? No. It's easy to think that you have it terrible and no one has it worse than you. It's easy to think that God has abandoned you or that he set you aside to forget about you for a while. What we don't always realize (sometimes not immediately), is that all bad things happen for a good reason, whether the reason is realized immediately or not.
There are millions of examples regarding why things happen: My family & I had to leave our country in 1989 as war refugees. Many things, a lot of bad, and a lot of good, have happened during those times. Some of the 'bad' were very bad, and some of the good were very good. This might seem irrelevant since I'm not detailing the good things that happened as a result, but the most clear one is that we came to this country, the US, and are alive.
Recently we lost our house in Orlando (by recently, I mean that tomorrow (the 30th of June, 2008) is the final day we own the house). Now this is bad. We're not the only ones being affected by this recession, but we pray and keep our heads up. God will protect us.
Whenever bad things happen, I immediately think to myself "God, what are you trying to tell me? Where are you trying to guide me?" Again, it may take years for us to realize, but God is always there, and does not abandon us. We have to step back and look at the bigger picture. Usually, situations aren't about us, so we needn't be selfish and think of ourselves.
From the Prince of Egypt sound track:
"A single thread in a tapestry
Through its color brightly shine
Can never see its purpose
In the pattern of the grand design"
Meaning that a single unit in a grander design doesn't always see what its use is, but it's important and shouldn't be underestimated.
I came to Gainesville with the girl I dated for five years and we broke up some time in 2006. I won't go into details, but needless to say, I was sad. I thought 'why did I move here?' and 'it's a waste of time, there's nothing here for me.' It wasn't until two years after that happened, that I got more acquainted with St. A's and its people, and I'm glad I did. I've touched so many lives and my life has been touched by so many. I can't even imagine what it would be like to not have the wonderful people in my life. I didn't think I'd be in the position/situation I'm in now, but God will protect us, no matter what.
Perhaps these are short or inconsequential stories, but remember my main point, that God is with us, and that we need to remember that always. Today, I heard a homily about how there's a difference between being "alone," and feeling "lonely." Alone is a state of being, where you're without others. Lonely is a state of mind where you feel empty. Many of us have felt both at any given time, but the worse time is when we feel both alone and lonely. Careful, the tempter is around when these situations occur.
Remember the footprints in the sand? Think of this when you’re having tough times. Of course we’ll be sad and cry and suffer, but these are tests God puts us through to make us stronger, to make us appreciate the smaller things in life, or the people we sometimes take for granted. Remember, look at the bigger picture. While many of you might not agree with the following example, it's still a good example:
People have been dying of thirst and water in third world countries for a long time. How can this be fair? Where is God? Why doesn’t he just fix things? Well, here’s the kicker: God works through us. Yes. It’s not God’s responsibility to make the wrongs turn right in this life, that’s for us to do. We need to take care of one another, love one another, and find ways to do good. The inventor of the Segway invented a device that has the potential to get us one step closer to diminishing disease, sickness, even death in these countries He invented a portable, relatively inexpensive, and fast water purifier. This device, invented by Dean Kamen, is featured on the Colbert Report.
There are a ton of examples out there as to how the principle of all things happening for a good reason exists, and a lot more real-world issues that still need fixing. 7th Heaven (some of you may remember this TV show) had an episode when a family lost their home, and they sought a job. One woman was getting older and in need of help around the house, and it ended up being that the family moved in with her until they could get their feet on the ground, and helped her out in the meantime. Everyone won.
Scrubs (another TV show) has one episode where a little girl is brought in from a stab wound. One skeptic said that there is no good reason for that. They did an MRI and found the girl had a tumor next to the wound, and they were able to cure her. True, these may be over dramatized with results happening quicker than in real life, but even little things happen. Before leaving for Orlando this past weekend, I needed to feed my turtles. I was all packed up, ready to go when I felt thirsty. I went to my fridge to get some water when I saw the crab meat I give my kids. I quickly remembered that I needed to feed them, and I thanked God for reminding me. Little things, big things, and everything in between happen for reasons like this.
Be more conscious of these things, think of God more, and give Him thanks for how wonderful He is, and how intricate His plan is. Got turned down/rejected by someone you like? Maybe God’s protecting you from being with them for His own reasons. I lost my license due to point suspension and haven’t been able to drive. That’s terrible, since I love driving, and I enjoy my car…a lot! But a lot of good things have come out of that, like I’m exercising more, I have been able to bond with friends, focus more on my responsibilities, instead of trying to take friends out (this can get very expensive, very fast). There’s no way I can afford insurance right now, or gas for my car, so in essence, I’m being protected from certain things (for all I know, even a car accident, etc.)
Perhaps I’m too much of an optimist and love God a lot; I don’t know…but I know that this philosophy has helped me live a great, happy life…even in the face of terrible things (like when I almost got evicted last week because I couldn’t afford to pay rent). But I stay positive and thank God for the things and people I do have in my life.
If you’ve read up to this point, then I’m glad. God bless you.
To finish off, I’m going to direct you to a track by DMX. True, he’s a rapper, but in his albums, he always includes a heartfelt prayer, and I admit that I like them. Listen to the song, it’s called Ready to Meet Him. You can also read along with the lyrics.
Peace.
© Raul Fernandez 2008