Romans 8:28 (NIV)
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.
Many girls dream about their wedding and meticulously plan out the details. You can plan as much as you want, but one thing you can never control is the weather. In the days leading up to our wedding, I checked the weather and was so disappointed when I saw there was rain in the forecast. I prayed, asking God to please let us have a sunny day, but my prayers were unanswered. When the day came, I simply had to decide to have a good day no matter what and not let the weather dampen my spirits.
The main reason I wanted good weather was for the photos. We didn't want a huge fancy wedding, but the photos were one area we didn't want to cut corners. We hired an awesome photographer (Jenni Marie... highly recommended). I just wanted the skies to co-operate.
Well, I didn't get the sunshine I prayed for. Instead, we got gorgeous wedding photos in the rain. I love them because they are unique; I had never seen rainy wedding photos like ours before. They remind me that even in the midst of disappointment I can find unique beauty I would not have otherwise seen.
As I look back on my life I see other disappointments that ended up being blessings. Dating relationships that ended meant I could be with the wonderful husband I have now. Not getting married in my 20's allowed me to mature and deal with some emotional baggage I would have otherwise carried into marriage. Delayed career goals taught me my character and development as a person are more important than my achievements.
Disappointments are going to happen. Life isn’t perfect and hardly ever goes as planned. But what I am sure of is that God loves us, and He can be trusted to handle our questions and the seemingly disjointed pieces. He can make beauty from ashes, a unique beauty we would not have experienced in the sunshine.
COMMENT BELOW: What is one disappointment you've had that turned out to be a blessing?
