Stuff happens

Someone I know has been dealing with an injury the last few weeks (or months, depending on when you start counting). One day he said, "I just wish I knew what God wanted me to learn so I could learn it already and be better."

Now, there are two things that crossed my mind when he said this. First, maybe God wanted him to learn to treat an injury when it first occurs, instead of 7 months after the fact, but what do I know.

Second, sometimes stuff just happens. God doesn't make it happen because He wants us to learn something. It's just life. Stuff happens. Sometimes things happen. You get the flu, even though you got the flu shot. You don't get every job you apply for. Traffic is bad. You have bad days, you don't sleep well, you get old. Stuff happens. It's not like God is up there saying, "Oh, now it's time for him [or her] to learn about failure, so I better make sure they don't get that job offer."

Nope, stuff happens and it's not part of some celestial predestined curriculum. Yes, He wants us to grow and become better, stronger people through these types of events. He wants us to turn to Him for help and to demonstrate Christlike traits as we navigate our way through the stuff that life throws at us. But he isn't playing mind games with us, forcing us to figure out what it is He wants us to learn and then learning it. And, since that's the case, learning it faster isn't going to make the flu or injuries or anything else go away once we nail it.

So, folks, when life goes south, all you can do is buckle in and be your best.