MEANT FOR GOOD
Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of
irony and cunning. It takes great delight to rip off one's success when they are
almost within reach. It makes opportunities appear in a different form and from
a different direction than you expect; slipping in by the back door, and often
disguised in the form of misfortune, trouble or temporary defeat.
The bible says in Rom.8:28; “And we know that
all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose.”
The brothers of Joseph hated him so much for
being the beloved son of their Father. His fate was decided by his brothers
through consensus by selling him as a slave to Egypt for just 20 pieces of
silver. In slavery, he passed through troubles in Potiphar’s house. His wife harassed him
to the extent that a false accusation led him to prison.
Alas! His time came and his talent as an
interpreter of dreams came to bear when the King had a puzzle to be solved but
only Joseph was able. He was promoted and the Prisoner became a Prime Minister
– from the Prison to the Palace, from Poverty to Prosperity, from Penury to
Plethora! In Gen.50:20, Joseph had a very lovely and positive account of the
entire experience, and told his brothers, “But
as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good . . .”
Jesus’ crucifixion was executed by men but by the
influence of the devil. Though a great
loss to his “family”, it has brought immense benefits to the whole world that if
the rulers of this world knew, they would never have crucified Jesus Christ.
The many prominent and successful people we
know, see, and hear about went through troubles and setbacks, but they realized
the opportunities in them and built upon them.
One person I am always motivated by her
exploits is Helen Adams Keller. She lived a normal and a
healthy life for the
first 18 months of her life until she develop what doctors call “acute congestion
of the stomach and brain” which made her become blind and deaf at an early age
of about seven. Her vocal chords had never been properly developed and her
speech was almost unintelligible to those who did not know her well. Even as an
adult, she needed an interpreter when speaking to strangers.
She overcame her handicaps, continually focusing
on her abilities, and not her disabilities and deprivations. She joined the American
Federation for the Blind in 1924 and became the spokesperson to advocate for
the rights of the handicapped. She died as one of the twentieth century’s
leading humanitarians. Helen Keller said, “The greatest tragedy to befall a person is to have sight but lack vision.”
Wallace E. Johnson, a dynamic Christian was fired from his job at a Sawmill during the Great Depression in the United States. This was so devastating! He went into home building with a loan of $250. In 1953, he joined Kemmons Wilson to kick-start one of the well-known business success stories of modern times – The Holiday Inn.
Wallace said “If I could
locate the man who fired me, I would sincerely thank him for what he did. At
the time it happened, I didn’t understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it
was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get me into the ways of his choosing.”
What do you do when defeat comes your way? What
do you say when it seems there are no solutions to your problems? Do nothing
and allow failure to overtake you? Or you turn them into opportunities and make
advantage of them?
As humans we must know that we are troubled
and sorrowed so that we can be comforted, and also be able to comfort,
motivate, counsel and encourage others who also go through troubles based on
our experience.
“A biology teacher, with the cocoon, was
teaching his students how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. He told the
students that in the next few hours, the butterfly will struggle to come out of
the cocoon, but no one should help the butterfly. He then left while the
students were watching. The butterfly struggled to come out but against the
advice of the teacher, the leader of the students had pity for the butterfly
and decided to help it come out of the cocoon. He then broke the cocoon to let
the butterfly out but soon afterwards, the butterfly died – Oh! “Odomfo kumfo.”
When the teacher returned and saw what had happened, he explained to the
students the law of nature involved: “The struggle of the butterfly to come out
of the cocoon helps it to develop and strengthen its wings. It is through the
struggling that all the veins in the wings of the butterfly are developed and strengthened.
This explains why the butterfly died.” Inadvertently, the student killed the
butterfly.”
This explains that nothing worthwhile and
well-meaning in life comes easy. You struggle in life to succeed. It gives you
a special skill, understanding and a deep sense of knowledge about life beyond
measure.
Seven Steps to Help You!
1. Share your problems with God.
2. Keep your troubles to yourself – don’t “sell”
them.
3. Think positively of your problems.
4. See troubles as stepping stones, not “stopping
stones” (See the good in them).
5. Surround yourself with positive-minded people.
6. Seek motivation and counsel.
7. Wake up and start afresh.
Triumphs come with effort. Don’t give up when
you fail your exams, lose your source of income, or make a mistake because they
are ingredients of success. Remember, “Opposition
brings a change in position”, and “God draws men into deep waters not to drown
them but to cleanse them.”
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