When our plans go wrong, and our lives take an unexpected turn, we have a choice to make. We can get angry at God, walk away from Him, and ask ‘why me?’, because we feel that things should have turned out differently. Or we can choose to keep trusting that God is good and faithful, despite the disappointment that we feel. We’d probably all like to choose the second option, but when we’re in the midst of disappointment we can feel more drawn to the first. God never promised that we’d have everything our own way, and that we’d never experience disappointment and hurt. But He does promise to never leave us, no matter what we’re facing and feeling. And He promises to work all things for good (take a look at Romans 8:28). When an irritant, like grit or a tiny parasite, gets into an oyster’s shell, the oyster wraps it in layers of a substance called nacre, until a pearl is formed. The oyster takes something unexpected and irritating, and turns it into something beautiful. And that’s what God can do with our disappointments and unexpected situations – He can turn them into something beautiful. The Bible says, ‘In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.’ God’s in control of our lives. He can see the bigger picture. His plans are far better than anything we can come up with ourselves. Isaiah 55 says: ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’ (v.9 NIV). We need to remember that God’s at work in what we’re going through today – for our good and His glory. All we need to do is to keep on trusting Him.

What Now?

Spend some time researching how oysters make pearls. Then thank God that He can turn your disappointments and hurts into something beautiful.