How many times have you and I held in our hands an ugly piece of our lives? Most of us want to believe that God’s plan for us is a life with some satisfaction and happiness, but there are circumstances and events that seem to make us question this, that don’t seem to fit into any reasonable plan God could have for us. When we’re faced with this situation, there are several things for us to remember. First, we have to understand that there are limitations to our human knowledge. We don’t and can’t understand everything. With all the technological and medical advances we’ve made, we still can’t cure the common cold and still have difficulty explaining in theory precisely what electricity is to say nothing of black holes in space or how the weather really works. How can we who know so little, judge then the meaning of a particular event in our lives? Secondly, we need to remember that what appears to be an ugly moment in life cannot be properly judged until it is seen in its proper context. It is the whole context of any event that establishes its meaning. Do you remember the story of the shipwrecked sailor whose campfire got out of hand one day and burned down the shelter that he had built with so much difficulty, destroying everything he had managed to salvage? He thought all was lost. But far out to sea a passing ship saw the smoke from the same fire and the captain, knowing the island was deserted, changed course to investigate and rescued the sailor. What appeared at first to be a disaster turned out to be salvation. So, for us, ugly pieces make sense when seen in a larger context. All this leads to an important conclusion. When we don’t totally comprehend. He sees the total picture and is always working for our good. As St. Paul says, “For those who love God and are called in His plan, everything works out for good.” Let us pray for the grace to be able to trust when difficult things happen which don’t make sense to us. For it may be precisely those moments and events that God is most at work.
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