Oh, how the mighty have fallen

Lots of people ask the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The answer is, there are greater things at work in this world than you can comprehend with your limited human understanding. God is in control. Life is certainly not easy, and things sure can suck, but the fact remains that we are just a fraction of a grain of sand in this world. How does a spoiled rich celebrity effortlessly amass tens of millions of dollars and then spend them on ridiculous things such as designer dog jewelry? I don't know. Why are babies born with deadly diseases that limit their life to only a few minutes, hours, or days? I don't know. I do know that God doesn't miss a beat on this Earth and that I trust in him completely in my life.

I bring this up because God has decided to take me down a notch. In short, I had it all eight years ago. My living condition was one that people work their whole lives toward retiring with. My family life was outstanding, my finances were secure and virtually stress free, and my career was perfectly on course. Now I am unemployed, in debt, and struggling to provide for my family. Not quite the future I planned.

Luckily I have not lost heart. I know that my family and I will recover from this difficult time. Years or even months from now, we will be able to look back and glean lessons from this terrible experience. This is not to say that I haven't been stressed out. I am still human. I've succumb to the occasional fit of rage and have tested the depths of my profane vocabulary. But even now I can understand that I did consider myself "mighty" in the past. I wasn't in the position to correct myself, so I was"corrected". It's exactly the same thing a loving parent does with a child. When Sammy D wants to stand up on the couch I tell him "no" and sit him back down. He doesn't understand that I'm trying to prevent him from falling and getting hurt. He just gets mad and cries having no idea that I did it for his own good. This is a microcosm of what my "father" has done for me. I may be prone to the occasional fit, but unlike Sammy, I understand that events in my life are being shaped for my own good. The appropriate response should be that of thanks, love, and understanding.

@#$% happens. When it happens to you, don't miss the opportunity to capture the positive within it.
The mouth of Sam has spoken.