There are no sad stories
So I was talking with a friend of mine tonight about things that happen in life that make us sad. Things like rejection, heartbreak, etc. Being honest, I’ve had to accept some rejection in my life that I’m not used to a few months ago and it was really hard for me. I applied to a few fellowships for graduate school and got the infamous “We regret to inform you that…” letters from both. I’m not trying to sound like an arrogant jerk or anything, but I’ve lived a pretty blessed life and if I work hard for something I usually get it. That being said, this was tough for me. I was basically told “Nice try, but you’re just not good enough”. Not good enough. I have an issue with pride (don’t we all to some extent?) and this humbled me. I worked my tail off to be good enough, but it wasn’t enough for them. I was happy with where I was, but being told I wasn’t good enough was hard on me. It, combined with a few other things, really made me sad for a little while. That was one of my more recent “sad stories” (ok I know it’s not that sad, but just go with me) but we all have had things in our lives that make us sad. Some things just upset us for a day, others longer, and others just break us down in a way we’ll never forget. Sometimes you feel like there’s no way to possibly get any lower. But keep your head up, I have some good news.
Ok first of all let’s be honest, if you’re reading this you are on a computer which means you are more fortunate that at least 95% of the world, so take a second to be thankful for all the things you take for granted and then continue reading. Let’s talk about some real sad stories. Two in particular come to mind, but I’ll save the second one for later. The first is about a lady who gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. She is then told to kill her baby. She knew if she kept him alive she would be punished, probably by death.(SPOILER ALERT: this is about Moses, if you hadn’t guessed) How terrible is that? I doubt if any of us have ever had to deal with something like that.
But the title of this post is “There are no sad stories”. I’m not saying that there aren’t things that make us sad, but there are no sad stories. Because stories have an ending. A story isn’t complete without an ending. And you can’t appreciate one part of the story without the other. So in our story about the lady and her baby, she decides that she won’t keep him but she won’t kill him. She puts Moses in a basket and sent him down the Nile river. Long story short- he grows up and becomes of the great religious figures of all time (who doesn’t know Moses?). I would say that the story of Moses wasn’t sad. I would actually say that no stories are sad. That’s a pretty bold claim, but one I’m willing to stand by. Why? The Bible. Here are a few verses, and then I will explain.
“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” – 2 Corinthians 2:9
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” – Romans 8:28
What I get from these 3 verses is that God has a plan for those who love him and that plan is perfect and holy and bigger than we can ever imagine. So this is why I say that there are no sad stories. God has a plan for each and every one of us, a special plan. He knows every one of our hearts and knows what is best for us. It may not always be exactly what we want or when we want it. It may seem like the worst thing in the world to us, but like the verses above say, God has an awesome plan for us. We can’t even begin to realize the full extent of his plans, and we never will. We’ll never see the end of the story we are writing until we ascend into Heaven to be with Him. And that’s ok. You don’t have to see the positive outcome of a tragic situation to know in your heart that God will use it not only for His glory but for our benefit. Going back to Moses, his mother probably never got over the fact that she gave up her son never to see him again. That’s a heartbreaking thing for a person. And while on this planet she never got to see what the cause of so many of her tears ended up doing for the glory of the Lord and for a countless number of people. She carried that sadness with her to her grave, but it wasn’t a sad story because that was only a small part of it. The rest was pretty freakin awesome.
Before I go any further, let me say this. You may ask me why there is injustice in the world. Why do thousands of girls get sold into sex slavery? Why do the ones we love most get cancer and suffer for months or years before succumbing to a miserable death. Why do over 50% of marriages fail leaving countless children left in the wake of that disaster? Why do millions of people die each year from diseases that we have cures for? Or starvation? Why are young girls driven to eating disorders to try to fill an image portrayed by the media? And why are guys not man enough to tell a girl she’s beautiful no matter what? Why do some guys use those girls and then break their hearts? Let me be very clear: I do not know. Anyone that tells you they know the answers to all of those questions is either lying or God. Probably the first one. I ask these questions myself. I question God’s plan and sometimes wonder how there can be any good that comes out of it? The only thing I can do to keep me from going crazy is just be peaceful in the fact that God knows what He’s doing. His plans and his vision is not confined by our lifetimes and our world. I’ll never be able to see what he has in store until I ask him personally in Heaven. But that doesn’t mean His name won’t be glorified through it. I guarantee you it will.
The other story that comes to mind when I think of a really sad story is that of Jesus Christ. He was a man who was sinless, perfect in every way. He was falsely accused of a crime. Beaten within an inch of his life. Spit on. Mocked. Tortured in ways we can’t imagine. Nailed to a cross with spikes driven through his flesh. And left to hang on that cross until he suffocated from not being able to lift himself up to take a breath. The end. Ok just kidding not the end. He rose from the dead after 3 days. In dying and conquering death, he took our sins from us so that we could join our creator in Heaven if we believe in Him. Hey, things didn’t turn out so bad after all right? Yes, it makes me almost sick to my stomach to know what Jesus went through, but the story of Jesus is not a sad story. It is a story of God’s love for us and His plan to give us more than we deserve. God always wants to give us better than we deserve.
If I haven’t convinced you by now that God’s plan is perfect whether we like it or not, I don’t think I’ll be able to. All I can is for you to try something. Look at life through a different lens. Look at the things that happen around you knowing that God is in control of them. Know that God is using everything for His glory and for our good. Don’t make up some scenario that you hope might come out of a bad situation, just be still and know that God has more in store for us then we can imagine. Even in things like my rejection story. I don’t know what good will come out of me getting denied by the fellowship programs, but I don’t need to know. I do trust that it was supposed to happen, and I’m not sad any more. Think about it: God probably laughs at you when you dream about the things you wish you had. God wants to give you more than you dream up in your wildest dreams, but you have to believe in Him for it to happen.
So in summary, God’s plan is perfect. At times it will bring us pain and sadness, but we will never know how God uses things for His glory and our benefit. Yes, bad things happen to good people. Nobody knows why but God. All we need to focus on is that that there are no sad stories. Everything will have a good ending in God’s eyes. We won’t be around to see the endings, but be peaceful knowing that the ending of the stories of life are always perfect. So my challenge to you is that when you’re writing your own life story, don’t dwell on the fact that you may be in the middle of a depressing chapter, but know that God has a perfect ending for everything.
Disclaimer: It’s reallllly late and I have to work in the morning so I’m not going to proofread this before bed. Sorry in advance if I wasn’t coherent. I just went with it.
