Change Your Thoughts, Change Your World By Bobby SchullerSample

When we face setbacks in life, our temptation will be to curse them, dwell on self-pity, blame others, or hurry on to something that isn’t meant to be. But a big part of the journey of a disciple of Jesus is to wait in hopeful expectation, to see the world through the Easter lens. That is, we are to believe that no matter how bad a thing is, Christ has the power to transform it to even greater life. There is no tragedy God can’t redeem. Though you cannot see it now, God will  get you through whatever it is you’re facing, and you might even find a gift within.

When it comes to the greatest tragedy in life, such as the death of a loved one, Christ has provided a way out of the grief. We can be sure that those who knew the Lord are safe with him. Dying is much more like waking up than falling asleep. Christ has taken their death and combined it with his own so they can receive life in heaven. But that still doesn’t change the fact that you feel brokenhearted, lost, or abandoned by God. How could he take away your spouse or your good friend? How are you supposed to get through that kind of a challenge?

When tragedies like this happen, our temptation is to withdraw, to try and just forget about it. Sometimes, the temptation is to act happy, even though inside we are hurting and broken-hearted. It’s easy to feel like other friends or family members are trying to hurry us through the process, to get us to the other side quickly. Though they just want the best for us, they don’t understand that hurrying through the pain only makes it last longer. They don’t know that

the best way to get through the pain of loss is to dive deeper into it, to talk about the pain of the loss, and to ask how God can use the loss to somehow bring a transformation to you.

We can’t control what happens in life. Things like your house burning down, your partner cheating on you, or being sued unfairly—these are unpredictable and can hit without warning. They can feel like real deaths. We may wonder, How am I going to recover from this one? How will I ever get back? The answer is, maybe you’re not supposed to “get back.” Maybe the setback is a setup for the next chapter in your story.