We all need a little encouragement sometimes. This semester, my engage group has been going through Esther. One of the major themes throughout the chapter is the idea that “everything happens for a reason”. In my own life—especially during this past month—it can be hard to accept events and occurrences that come up unplanned. Never do I plan to have my professor give my class an unannounced quiz. Never do I plan for the bus to be running late. And never, ever, do I plan for my homework to take as long as it often does.
When I don’t get enough sleep and when I discover that I bombed the surprise quiz, I’m not the person that instantly thinks of the good that can come from the situation. I’m the one that stresses and checks to see how much the quiz will sink my grade or how much sleep I’ll have to get the next night in order to catch up. God has a way of knowing what will happen in a situation long before we even realize what could come of it.
God has a way of acting in all situations—even in ones that are so routine it feels that God cannot move in them no matter what we do. For instance, this summer I was at the gas station when the man on the other side of the pump realized his car wouldn’t start. He walked around the pump and asked if I would help him jump-start it. Though I was doing a routine procedure, I felt blessed just to be able to help the man get his car started. He expressed immense gratitude to me, and I found that I was the one thanking God for the opportunity I was given to help the man. It encourages me to know that God is looking out for us in every sticky situation—or routine occurrence—we find ourselves in. Everything happens at a certain time and for a certain reason, and we should never forget that God is the only one that can see the bigger picture in every circumstance.
~ Kristina Hagen