Some days nothing seems to go right. I lose my phone and keys. The project that was only supposed to take an hour ends up taking the whole day. Traffic isn’t moving and costs me extra time. Dinner gets burnt. I forget to set my alarm clock.

That’s only just a small portion of things that sometimes don’t work out for me. Life has a way of throwing us curve balls. Things that I didn’t see coming. Things that didn’t allow me to prepare for adequately. Things that threw me for a loop. Things that made me want to disappear only to return at a later date.

Our life seldom goes as planned. Often the results are something that we never would have expected. No matter how hard we try to control the situation, it has a tendency to go in a different direction. Then we begin to question it all. We want to get it all back on track, but just aren’t sure how to do that. Confusion and frustration are our unwanted friends in this season. Life feels a bit off for us. If only we could get our feet solid on the ground again, then all would be well in our world.

We are already warned in scripture that there will be trouble that comes for a visit in our life. No matter how hard we try to resist it, there will be times that things just happen. It’s not that we are living with an expectancy of bad things happening. It’s that we are staying on the offense ready to face what life throws us. We may not have a solution, but we are prepared to handle whatever comes our way.

We may not be able to change our situation, but we can change the attitude in which we face it. Facing challenges with a positive attitude doesn’t guarantee a wonderful outcome, but it will allow us to see things in a whole new light. When we view our trials in light of God’s viewpoint, then it allows us to find the good or the possibility of good that He desires to bring out of the situation. This doesn’t mean that our situation is always good. It just allows Him to draw that out of the not so good in our life.

You may not like the place where you are, but there is new wisdom and knowledge here. Things that you would never learn or experience unless you walked this route. Don’t waste this difficulty. Look for insights from God amidst the chaos. He is speaking if only you’ll take the time to listen. He is longing to share His heart with you in all of this.

Don’t miss the beauty in all of the mess. Most of the time we fail to see this because all we focus on is what isn’t right. Take the time to enjoy the day even though it isn’t going as planned. Find something to be thankful for. Be mindful of all of the things that are going right in your life. It’s so easy to focus on the few things that aren’t and fail to see the hundreds of things that are. Smile even though you feel like crying. Encourage someone just as you need to be encouraged. Be determined to keep pushing through.

These little hiccups don’t last forever. You will pass through them. You will get to the other side. You will make it no matter how much it seems that you won’t. Your life may be falling apart, but that’s no reason that you have to be. You are brave and courageous. You are a fighter. You are focused and determined. With God leading the way, there’s no reason to be afraid. Surrender to how He is putting it all together. Breathe. Just breathe. What is that? That’s God’s purpose for you filling those lungs. Purpose for you in this not so good situation. Life is greater than all of this. Walk in that purpose and win.