Blessings in Disguise

Making the Best Out of a Bad Situation 
(adapted from a devotional by Bryant Wright, from Right from the Heart)
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. — John 16:33

A call to follow Christ does not mean that things will get easier for us but we will need to look at things from a new perspective. Of course there are many examples of people who have faced trials but did not give up. 

Reverend Henry (in the late 1600's) was walking to his home in London when he was robbed by two men who attacked him in an alley. After arriving home, he wrote in his diary: 

I thank Thee, first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my belongings, they did not take my life; third, although they took everything I had, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.

This is a valuable perspective which challenges us to see setbacks and challenges as blessings, not as failures. Another interesting example is Winston Churchill, who inspired England and its allies as he declared, “We shall never surrender!” during England’s darkest days. Yet as World War II ended, his country unceremoniously dumped him as its prime minister. Attempting to comfort him, his wife declared that this rejection might actually be a blessing in disguise. “If it is,” he replied, “then it is certainly very well disguised.”

Despite this humbling rejection, Churchill went on with his life. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his six-volume history of World War II and served another term as prime minister and many years as the elder statesman of the free world.

Jesus warned that “in [this] world, you will have tribulation.” You will face many rejections, roadblocks, and even landmines in your life. Sometimes God allows us to face these challenges to teach, test, or even redirect us. Learn to view these hardships as opportunities to make yourself stronger. You just might discover that Mrs. Churchill was right! It could be a blessing in disguise.

What has happened in your life that you might call "a blessing in disguise"? How can God use what others might call a failure to be a source of blessing for you and others? Answering these questions might be the key to understanding how God can use you for His glory.