“You know Syb, I think this is just supposed to be part of your life story.  You’re going to be able to encourage someone else through this. And you know you don’t want a boring life story.”

She listened to me describe my confusion and discouragement over a disappointing meeting that played out the one way I never would have guessed.  Though my expectations were low, a possibility of being shut down and turned away was not even on my radar.  All the work seemingly went to waste, all the sleep lost apparently in vain.  

Nope – didn’t see that one coming.

Yet when my friend said these words to me, they stopped me in my tracks.  Mouth hanging open, I replayed her words in my mind again and again until I quickly realized she was absolutely right.  No doubt, they were just what I needed to hear.

Because just as I’ve always believed deep down – no circumstance, whether good or bad, is ever an accident nor need ever be wasted.  It may be a counter-cultural way of thinking and certainly not an easy outlook to maintain at times, but it’s true and it’s Biblical.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV).

This verse tells us that God uses our grief, our joy, our loss, our gain, our trials and our triumphs – nothing is wasted.

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Any given day will hold plenty of hard – disappointing news, a grumpy child, a rude stranger. Or it may hold beautiful things – stargazing on a summer night, a chat with an old friend, a long hug with your beloved.

Either way, we can trust God that He is collecting the pieces of our lives in His hand and creating something bigger and more beautiful than we can imagine.

Learning to relinquish control on the daily can be an exhausting process.  Every day is an exercise in learning to live out what we already know to be true.  He’s got this, so we don’t have to – and that’s pretty amazing.

The freedom to embrace the big beautiful story He has planned makes it a whole lot easier to lay down my own ideas of what’s next … once I remember it’s really not about me anyway – in fact, it never was.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

you will win some false friends and some true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

people may cheat you.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight.

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough.

Give the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God;

it was never between you and them anyway – Mother Teresa

Yes, I may come prepared with the best I’ve got and it may still not be enough.  What I spend hours building may be ignored and disregarded at the drop of a hat.  But when I stop to remember this isn’t about me – it’s about a work God is doing in and through me, my outlook shifts.  My breathing deepens, my heart widens, and I’m ready to embrace the story He already has planned.  Heaven knows it won’t be a boring story … and I wouldn’t have it any other way!  😉

Where do you look to when you’re disappointed and let down?  How can you embrace the beauty of His story already planned for you, even when you feel stuck in the thick of your own dashed hopes and dreams?

For more on living the life story you were created for, check out this post next and be sure to click Pin It below, if you’d like to save this one for later  🙂

Are you living the life story you were created for? The good life isn't always what it appears to be at first!