As a young adult, I used to get stressed every time an obstacle or setback came my way, especially when big problems occurred. My husband was always the optimistic one, often reminding me of the famous quote by Mark Twain along the lines of, “I have known a great many troubles in my life, but most of them never happened!”
A while ago, I came into some money from the sale of my parents’ property. It was enough to buy a small house, but after looking for two months, I found nothing in the neighborhood that I wanted for the money I had. Encouraged by my eldest son, I chose instead to buy a piece of land, so that I could build the house I wanted. Not long after, on a Friday, I found a nice plot and arranged with the owner to close the deal on Monday.
Unfortunately, he called me on Sunday and said that the plot had been sold. He apologized and said that he had also advertised the property in a brokerage company, but that there had not been any interest in it for months, until the company sold it that Saturday. I was so disappointed, but I kept trusting the Lord. After one week, he called me again to say that someone who was going to buy a similar plot at the end of the street had pulled out, and that I could buy that plot for the same price as the previous one.
I bought that land and am currently happily living in the house I had built. But that’s not the end of the story. It turned out that the original plot backed into a large property that began to be rented for parties that lasted all night. The family that bought that plot was forced to move and sell it at a loss. What I thought to be bad news at the time turned out to be God’s providence in disguise.
In thinking about this, it occurred to me that life can be compared to railroad tracks: the train needs both tracks to move forward. One represents the happy occasions and easy times, the other the difficulties and sorrows that help us grow and mature. Both are necessary for progress and fulfillment. The train must go through valleys and mountains, bridges and tunnels, deserts and oases, until it gets to its final destination.
To keep going is not an option, but a necessity. Sometimes we can’t see clearly the way ahead and have to trust the Lord to guide us, but it is worth the ride.