Bad Things Happen, And It’s Okay.

“It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.” – Doe Zantamata.

 

Weird topic, eh? How can it be okay for bad things to happen? What does that even mean? There are so many unanswered questions that run through our minds. Why do bad things happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? Do we deserve the bad things that happen to us? Can we control what happens to us? Did we cause this?

 

Honestly, I do not know the answer to any of those questions, and I bet I am not the only one. We watch the news every day, and the headline reads – “3 year old dies of cancer…”, “ Family of 4 involved in a road accident…”, “Man butchers child…”, “13 year old girl raped…”, “ Coronavirus kills 19,000 and counting. No known vaccine…” I can keep going on and on. The list of bad news happening around the world never ends. So much violence, death, rape, sickness etc.

 

But what do I actually know, and believe? I believe in God, I believe God is good, kind, and merciful. I believe God does not like to see us suffer. I believe God does not test us. I believe God is always with us. I believe God created the earth. I believe bad things happen. I believe we cannot control the things that happen to us, but we can control how we react to it. As long as we are alive, bad things will always happen, but good things will happen too. Just as there is the bad, there is also the good. We just have to decide how we will handle every situation – both good and bad. The way we react to situations determines how we get through it.

 

So why do I say bad things happen, and it is okay? I believe it’s okay because God is there to bear the burden and the heaviness with us, I believe that we will never be given a burden too heavy for us to handle, I believe every situation molds our character.

 

We need to start focusing on what we can learn from everything that happens to and around us. I strongly believe in this saying – “If it’s not good, God’s not done.” No matter how bad a situation is, or how much loss we have suffered, stand firm in your faith knowing that God is not done with you. He will bring back light into your life. Everyone has gone through various losses and bad times at some point in life, but we must not look back and dwell on those dark times. We must look forward, knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Sometimes, it’s easier said than done, but whenever you feel discouraged, picture a pregnant woman, who carries a fetus in her womb for 9 months – experiencing various changes in her body, nausea, swollen feet etc., is stuck between life and death in the labor room, and experiences the most excruciating pain ever known (Thumbs up to all mothers out there!), and voila! A baby pops out, and the pain was all worth it.

 

God never promised us that we will not go through tribulation in this world, but told us to must remain confident, because we will overcome! So, instead of focusing on questions we cannot answer, let us start asking questions that we can actually answer – “Now that this has happened to me, what will I do about it?” Make the most of your experiences because the light will always shine. Every cloud definitely has a silver lining!

 

Xo.