A Strange Chain of Events

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. So many times, we cannot see the whole picture so we do not understand God's plan. This can be very discouraging when we think we are facing bigger obstacles than we can handle. But, God has a reason for the trials that we all go through.

Darius Rucker's song This is a perfect example of things that have worked out & things that didn't go the way we think they should.

All the fights and the tears and the heartache
I thought I'd never get through

And the moment I almost gave up

All led me here to you

I didn't understand it way back when

But sittin' here right now

It all makes perfect sense.

A friend made a comment last night that got me to thinking about things & the way they play out.

Yes, there are plenty of things that have happened in my life that I'm not proud of, but those things have made me who I am today. And even though we don't usually think about how our decisions affect other people, so often everything we do is just one small peice of the puzzle. Our actions affect everyone around us, even the people we haven't met yet.

So the next time you find yourself in yet another messed up situation, stop & think of all the people around you that may possibly be influenced by your reaction. After all, we are all put into the pot of boiling water at some point in time. Are we like the carrot where we start out hard, but become soft under pressure? What about the egg who is very fragile until time & circumstance makes it hard? Or will we be like a handful of coffee beans & allow ourselves to be changed each time the need arises?

One of my desires for this crazy ride we call life is for God to use me however He sees fit. If that means using my mistakes to improve someone else's life, then so be it. I give God the glory & I hope that He will lead down a path that doesn't have quite so many valleys!

If I can be of any help to anyone, please let me know!