Life and all that it gives to us always has been and will continue to be full of headaches, heartaches, and a myriad of other pains and hard knocks. It is just the way it is here on this side of eternity. As life for most of us goes, “things,” “obstacles,” and “irritants” fairly regularly come flying into our daily routines and interrupt, discombobulate, and sometimes destroy the efforts we are putting forth towards reaching our dreams and goals. The problems or challenges that travel in tandem with these interruptions can easily overwhelm folks,…particularly those people who do not have much personal spiritual faith in God and/or in themselves.

I am presently reading a book entitled “Everything Happens For A Reason.” The title caught my attention as I was perusing through a bookstore near my home. Books have always interested me. I never was an avid reader as a young student in school. But since starting my own business over 40 years ago, I have since learned and have become what I would term a voracious reader. I am never without a book in my hand, briefcase, on the table or desk, or traveling in the car or on my bedside night stand.

One of the most important lessons I have personally learned as a businessman under authority and being mentored by many different counselors is that you never have all of the answers to life’s questions or dilemmas. No single human being is so intelligent as to “know-it-all.” Consequently, I have learned from lots of “trial and error,” “heartburn and headache,” and “misery and suffering” that the intelligent person does not do anything for the first time in their life without counseling with other men and/or women who have successfully done what he or she is considering or attempting to do!

Once a person has decided and chosen a particular endeavor and full well knows he or she is going to pursue and achieve the desired end result, it just makes good common sense to find out as much as you can before taking action as compared to just going “willy-nilly” into a “charge-on” effort out into the swamp or out onto thin ice. Wisdom comes initially from God (See James 1 : 5-6), but Wisdom coupled with sound counsel from people who have successfully gone before you will show you how to avoid harmful and hurtful actions and activities that can very well destroy you and your chances for success in your own endeavors. Now I might add at this point that seeking out wise counsel can many times be most difficult, painful, intimidating or even embarrassing,…but…counsel anyway. Swallow your pride. Eat some “crow” if you have to. Wise counsel can and most often will help you avoid or side-step further damage or injury. The old saying remains as true today as it was when initially coined: “The best way for you to learn is from someone else’s broken nose,…not your own.”

You see, dear friends,….God has made our world totally symmetrical, ordered, and perfectly balanced. His laws of physics are always in play in our world and in our life….So are His laws of prosperity, human relationships, happiness, good health and all other of the things and events that He designed for us to learn and apply and then to enjoy while we live here on earth. He tells us in His Word, The Holy Bible, to not be afraid but rather to boldly walk forward, onward, and upward in our individual pursuit of happiness and prosperity. His Promises as recorded in Scripture are available to anyone, regardless of their personal background. God is no respecter of persons. He treats all of his creation with equal love, care, provision, and protection. Just know in your heart that you must first learn God’s Laws before you can apply them for your own benefit. Ignorance of His laws does not neutralize them or their effects. God’s Laws will either work for you or they will work against you depending on your knowledge and application of them and their effects…..

May I present to you two final and major elements about God’s Laws that are always in effect here on earth in each of our lives. You would be very wise to never forget what I am about to tell you: (1) You don’t know that which you do not know. So, you had better get educated about the necessary elements that must be in play before you begin or attempt becoming successful,…and (2) You never violate God’s Laws,…you only confirm them.

If you truly do desire the blessings, benefits, and rewards of God in your life, you must play the game of life according to His Rules.

Now back to the book I am presently reading……God personally knew you from the instant of your conception in your mother’s womb. He also knew and gave a number to the days you would live out your life while you were on this earth. God has a predestined plan for your life. He tells us about this truth in The Book of Ephesians, Chapter 2, verse 10 NKJV:

(10) “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand that we
should walk in them.”

That predestined personal God-given Plan for our life will happen as He planned it if only we will come to know Him as our own personal Lord, Master, and Savior before we physically die. Once our personal relationship with Christ has been properly established, then we must become obedient to His instructions to us as written in His Holy Word. It is all recorded in the Bible, in the Book of Psalms, Chapter 139, verses 13-16 NKJV:

(13) “For you formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.

(14) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works.
And that my soul knows very well.

(15) My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

(16) Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your Book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me.
When as yet there were none of them.”

Armed with this knowledge as discussed, you now know why things happen to you,…be they pleasant or unpleasant. The events, trials, tribulations, and circumstances that crop up in the course of living your life are not accidents! They are preplanned events to take you through to completion and its attendant rewards. They are the very Plan that God has in store for you! It is for this exact reason and purpose that you must never give up in your continuing efforts. You must never quit on yourself. If you do,…God’s planned blessing for you will be automatically cancelled or prevented from happening. Do not ever let that happen to you!

As a closing point of comfort to and for you, permit me to share a piece of personal advice so that you may also discover its soothing effects in your own life. Here are some facts of Life for you to ponder: There will be good times and bad times while you live on earth. There will be great celebrations and just as big catastrophes. It is not what happens to you you that really makes the difference, but rather it is how you handle what happens to you that counts most. Once you come to truly know and develop a personal relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ,…and then understand the content of this discussion,…I will testify to you that life is going to get a lot easier for you to handle and live as you struggle and grow in the direction of your personal dreams and goals; as you work towards achieving your personal desires. Sure there will still be some tough times. Remember we all live in a “Fallen World.” But when you come to realize that everything that happens to you is a preplanned event and is designed to help and assist become a better and stronger person as you pursue your life’s purpose, then you will begin to relax, think things through, and stay calm as the “storms of life” crash in around you. Remember God’s promise to you. All things that happen to you in life will all work together for your own good as long as you continue to walk on in total faith and handle as best you are able the “good,” the “bad,” and the “ugly” that comes into your life.

Look Up,…..not down.

Look Forward,…..not backward.

Seek The Truth,…..not the lie.

And Always Stay Calm and at Peace with yourself.

Peace and Love to All of You……………………Poppa Bear