My personal trainer told me, “There’s good pain and there’s bad pain.” I said, “How do you know the difference?”
Isn’t it interesting that most of us will do anything we can to keep (what we perceive as) “bad things” from happening to us? Many of us can even be accused of being overprotective. But our story is that we are better and stronger today as a result of the “bad things” that have happened to us. Let me explain.
How ‘Bad Things’ Have Changed Us
First, our faith is stronger because of the bad things. There are things you can control and things you can’t control, like when you go through something so tragic as a doctor sitting you down and telling you that your son is going to die. I will say it this way: “I knew that there was no check that could be written, there was no phone call that could be made, there was absolutely no one and nothing on this earth that I could call upon that would change what the doctors said was going to happen. Accept, God and prayer.” I begged God to heal Kyle Jr. but he died the next day.
Next, our perspective is so different today because of the bad things. The experiences, the fears, the thoughts, the conversation changed our perspective. When you have no other place to go but to God, he will change your perspective.
I remember a conversation with a man who was telling me that we “had something special” and the reason we had it was because of the “bad things” that had happened to us. I asked him, “How do people get this something special without having ‘bad things’ happen to them?” He had an answer, but I would ask for yours. (Reply or private message me what you think or to request his answer.)
And third, our attitude toward life and what many perceive as a “bad thing” is different today. The fact is that once you go through the death of two sons, it makes every other death a little more bearable. I remember when my mom died. I know without a doubt that I love her and that I care deeply for her. But after the trauma we had faced, it made her death less impactful. I remember feeling guilty and having to talk with people about this.
Tough Times Make Us Stronger
How about work and the economy? When we “almost lost it all” in 2010 after the recession and then were able to rebuild and have what we have today. This whole economy thing is not shaking us so much.
I need to be clear that this doesn’t mean we have our heads stuck in the sand. It doesn’t mean we don’t care enough about other people in our lives. It doesn’t mean that we are numb to life and the realities and risks in it.
What it means to us is simply that because of all the “bad things” that have happened in us, with us and to us over the years, we have a stronger faith and belief. And we know that everything will be OK. We don’t necessarily know what OK will look like but we know God’s got this, and us!
We perceive and know that the tough times will only make us stronger and draw us closer to God than we already are. They will take us to a deeper relationship with Him, and the special thing we have will become even more special.
And because of the last two, it is easier to maintain a good and positive attitude through the difficult things that life throws our way.
We All Have to Decide
Good pain, bad pain, bad thing, good thing? We all have to decide for ourselves. We found our answers by looking at our faith, our perception and our attitude.
God bless you.
