When Life Doesn't Work Out

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Did you know that society has a list?  It’s a checklist that says, “If you are in this place in life, then you should have achieved certain things.”  For the college grad the list is an immediate steady job that can be transitioned into a long-term career.  Or if you’re a young married couple it’s a baby and a cute home.  And it seems that for a single woman it’s a husband, or at least a steady boyfriend. 

If you're an older person, then you should have made all the right financial moves and have a huge retirement nest egg, and ready to sail away to the Grand Caymans for that dream retirement vacation.  And if you don’t have these things, you are sadly behind in life, and worthy only of pity or shame.

It can be demoralizing.  The more you look at “the list” the more boxes seem to be unchecked in your own life.  Everyone’s great life is suddenly eclipsed by the feeling of being left behind.

Society claims that these achievements, relationship status, careers, income, location, are the yardsticks of success, meaning, and self-worth.

It’s not a stretch to say that most people have hopes and dreams for this life. I don’t personally know anyone who wants to live a bad life! Still, for many Christians, life doesn’t turn out that way.  The truth is, “the list” is a lie.  Society claims that these successes are the benchmarks of accomplishment, meaning, and self-worth.  It’s not true.  Our worth is based on who Jesus says we are, and He says we were worth dying for.

Perhaps you have experienced the disappointment of dreams and goals that have gone unfulfilled, and life’s reality breaks through the front door of our lives.

Let me share with you a personal example.  There was a time in my life where I felt like God stripped away all the things I tend to place my identity in besides Him.  It was like He unchecked every box, and then looked at me and said, “If I tell you right now, without the ability to do any of these things, that I love you, and that you are worthwhile and important, will you believe me?”  

That question was difficult to answer.

Seven years ago, having just turned 60, a wonderful wife, and was traveling the world doing ministry for the Lord, it was discovered that the arteries in my legs were becoming blocked, and because of a lack of blood circulation my legs were dying.  There was no heart disease in my family, and I had spent a lifetime jogging, hiking, and working out.  Subsequently, both my legs had to be amputated.

Certainly my plans did not include dealing with something like this, so my disappointment at this new reality of life hit me hard.  Now, several years later, although my life has regained its sense of balance, I live with the knowledge that in this life, I won’t have all that I wanted or envisioned.

I share this personal story with you because, like you, I am also on a journey to being a committed follower of Christ, and the journey includes all of our life experiences, both good and bad.  While we can’t have everything that we want, we can trust that God provides for what we need.  God is in the business of providing opportunities for us to grow in faith daily.  And, it seems that most often these opportunities take the form of struggles and trials.

Painful life experiences may not be enjoyable, but they can absolutely be good and worthwhile, if in the middle of them we allow ourselves to be molded into the likeness of Jesus!  We are both able and accountable for choosing our response to trials.  A time of trial forces a decision to be made and our decision, like facing a fork in the road, determines which road we take.  One road leads to despair and bitterness, the other road leads to hope and developing a Christ-like character.

Today, I encourage you to be mindful that we can’t always get what we want in life, but we can choose, even in the middle of disappointment, to trust that God will provide everything we need!

Allow me to leave you with one last thought, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

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