I tend to have a defense mechanism when things are going really good. I wait for the other shoe to drop. Meaning, I wait for something bad to happen. I almost expect it. And sometimes I'm right. Sometimes bad things do happen.
A few weekends back, I was leaving a great brunch with my friend for her birthday. It was a beautiful day with great food and great people. But then, the shoe dropped. A mystery, came-out-of- nowhere, double-parked cab and I had a slight incident as I was backing out of a parking spot. Thankfully, my friend was so amazing, and although the other party was a little irrational, (I'm rolling my eyes as I'm writing this), the nice officers of Baltimore City completely had our back. I believe God used that situation to show me that when things go wrong, He'll provide the people and circumstances that will make it alright in the end.
A week or so ago, I was thinking about how great things were going in my life and then I had that feeling. Something's going to happen. Sure enough, I end up getting into a silly misunderstanding with my husband about chicken. Yes, chicken. But as silly as it was, God used that situation to show us both something about the way we communicate that will help us when future misunderstandings arise.
I still tend to expect the bad when things are going so good. But I also tend to believe that God looks forward to those opportunities so that he can turn a bad situation all the way around. I even believe He wants to bless me in the process. So in that case, there's no point in dreading the dropping of the other shoe. If He's blessing me in the good times and if I believe He'll bless me in the midst of the bad times, it's a win-win.
I believe this for you, too. If things are going good for you, enjoy it and be grateful for it. But life does happen, and when it does, if you believe in God, prove it and trust in Him to help you through the difficult times. He has the power to take care of things so much better than we could ever try to on our own.
Here are some verses we can use to encourage ourselves in the good times and when the other shoe drops.
Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3
May we have the courage to be grateful and enjoy the good times but also trust God wholeheartedly when the other shoe does drop.
Thank you for reading.
