Enough of 2013 has gone by to assume that at least most people reading this will have broken a number of their resolutions. Some may have baptised their lips in chocolate, despite their vow to abstain from its luscious sweetness. Whilst others have reverted back to old habits, proving once again that they do indeed die hard. Or perhaps for some, whilst watching a sky full of fireworks from eyes filled with hope on January 1st, it seems as though all ambitions and dreams seem to be once again unattainable. As disheartening as all of these things may be—failure and shut doors—there are important lessons to be learnt, even when it feels like you are lying in a pit of disappointment.
THINGS DON’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT
Certainly, babies may well be conceived overnight (we’ll leave that there), but they do take nine months to develop before they pop out. Fact. So why are we so quick to get upset when things don’t happen immediately? Don’t let fast broadband and microwaves fool you into thinking that everything must happen almost straight away. If anything, take some notes from nature: there is a process and order for everything.
At each stage of pregnancy, a new development comes about for the growing foetus; for the foetus to bypass any developmental stage is ultimately harmful. Likewise it can be with many of the things that we may be hoping, building and planning for. There is beauty in the wait, in the struggle and often—just because you cannot always see immediate effects of your efforts, it doesn’t necessarily point to a lack of progress. Don’t forget also that scaffolding always looks rubbish and seems to be up for eternity in some cases, but it is a necessary part of the building process.
THINGS DON’T ALWAYS GO TO PLAN
Nonetheless, this can sometimes be the beauty of life. Life is not a linear trajectory that you can follow seamlessly. There are obstacles and situations that can suddenly present themselves to us without warning. Some surprises that happen are actually very good things. I hate surprises and have always stated that a true friend would tell me their plan to throw me a surprise party at least 24 hours in advance so that I can prepare and practice my surprised face (that I refer to as the ‘I’ve just won my first Oscar face’ in case you were interested). That said, my wishes were ignored one year and having already laid out lovely plans for my birthday—I soon found that I was walking headlong into a surprise party. This certainly was not my plan (and my face was by no means prepared), but it was certainly a more wonderful thing than I had planned for myself. Of course, life is not always about surprise parties and cake-eating; it does also throw not so pleasant things our way. But as a Christian, the same rule ultimately applies: your plan may not work out as you may have hoped, but in the end, there will be a celebration that you could never have possibly expected.
ALL THINGS ARE WORKING OUT FOR YOUR GOOD
It’s easy to see rejection or failure as the end, but often a closed door and failure can not only be good because they can build character, but they can also change the very course of our lives for the better. The only downer is that it’s only (often) in hind sight that we are able to see this. Take my story, for example—having applied and been accepted onto my preferred university on the condition that I got my grades, imagine my surprise when I narrowly missed my target in one subject and on one of my papers. This meant having to totally reapply. A huge closed door.
Nevertheless, the next year I applied to a university I had had no intention of applying to the previous year, to do a course that was completely new to the university. Yet looking back, had I not gone to the university that I went to, I would never have met a whole host of amazing people, nor would I have met the wonderful man I’m set to marry later this year. I unashamedly cried my eyeballs out when I thought I had not only failed but been rejected and my plans had come to nothing. But the truth was that God was building something more beautiful than I could have ever hoped for. Rejection and failure can causes us to look down and hang our heads in shame, when in that moment, it is imperative that we look up and ahead and set our hope in the truth that even the worst things that happen to us can be used as things that can ultimately be for our good.
The truth is, life will always cause you despair if you don’t know Who you’re trusting in to lead you. Things don’t always happen overnight, nor do they necessarily go to plan—but you can rest assured that, if you love God, He is working it all out for your good. The year is still young and while you may not be able to control every eventuality—but you will always have a choice as to how you react and deal with what happens in life.
Written by Kazstarlet
TweetMe @kazstarlet
Check out her personal blog HERE