I find myself asking this question far too often. Ever since I was little, I've always looked for "optimal conditions." If I had a test in 4th grade math I made sure I was wearing a comfortable outfit so I wouldn't be distracted, or I checked my backpack 20+ times to make sure I had all my #2 pencils. To this day I still stress about "optimal conditions." At the beginning of this first year at college I went through a situation that was not "optimal" to say the least. It was hard, and messy, and something I did not want to deal with {you can read about it here} Through that entire situation I kept asking myself, "Why is this happening to me?"
Just recently, I've been going through another situation, somewhat similar but not completely, where I have been asking myself, "Why is this happening to me?" While I won't go into detail, neither of these situations were/are ideal but they also aren't the end of the world. Yet I still find myself stressing and worrying and trying to work everything out on my own.
When I was going through the first situation {at the beginning of the year} I knew my sights were not in perspective. I knew that my life could be much worse, I was being shortsighted and completely "me" focused. So I googled "stories to put my life in perspective." And let me tell you, that was an eye opener.
Sure, my situation wasn't "ideal" but I also wasn't diagnosed with cancer, or suffering from the loss of a family member, or struggling to find clean water or food to eat.
So through all of this what have I learned?
I've learned that conditions are not always going to be ideal. And that's okay. Sometimes, scratch that, all the time, God uses the hard and the messy and the ugly to teach us something. Sure, it's not easy but in the end you will come out a stronger person than before.
It isn't the end of the world. While your situation may be extremely difficult I can almost garauntee that someone else is going through something much harder. Now that's not to say that what you're going through isn't important, of course it is. But if you feel like you need to put everything in perspective, take a step back and remember how much worse it could be.
It will get better. I promise. It may not end the way you had hoped, it may not be exactly what you had wanted, but it will be exactly what's right for you. Romans 8:28 says that "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
So, my friends, God has a plan. Trust me, I know how hard that is to grasp sometimes but I promise that everything you are experiencing, however big or small it may be, God cares. Go to Him in prayer, cast all of your cares on Him, He will never fail you.
