Man Meant It for Evil but God Meant It for Good.

04 May 2020 Leave a comment

by unlimitedpotentialhealingcenter in anger management, attitude, clearing non-beneficial energies, dealing with fear, problem solving

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Joseph addressing his brothers in Genesis 50:20

Bad things in life can sometimes result in unexpected, good outcomes.

In this biblical story, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Although his brothers meant to harm him, Joseph ended up in Egypt where he became second in command under the Pharaoh because he was able to interpret the Pharaoh’s disturbing dreams and advise him on what to do. The dreams foretold of a coming famine that led Joseph to be put in charge of a mass grain storage that enabled the Egyptians and and it’s neighbors to survive a prolonged food collapse. Joseph’s brothers were among those that traveled to Egypt to buy food unknowingly from Joseph himself. Amazingly, Joseph was able to forgive his brothers’ treachery as he saw their action as God’s plan to save many people. 

Examples

You may have heard me speak about Nelson, who was fired on a Friday along with his entire department of 40 people. On Tuesday, those not fired were killed as a plane flew into their very floor of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Or about Carolyn, fired from her job in NYC Opera Chorus, who used it to ramp up her vocal training, and got hired in the Metropolitan Opera Chorus at twice the salary, security and prestige a few months later. Or Irene whose house and contents were severely damaged by fire, but who totally rebuilt her home, greatly improving it in a way that only the insurance money made possible.

What we see as a bad, awful, or even tragic event, can have within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit for us or others depending upon how we handle the situation and the choices we make in response to our problems.

Ty & Charlene Bollinger, who founded The Truth About Cancer that has helped so many people get well, did so because of losing a number of family members to the disease. Candace Lightner and Cindi Lamb, whose children were victims of drunk drivers, started MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. America itself was founded largely by people oppressed because of their religion, ethnicity, or political views. The New School for Social Research in New York City was founded by  refugees escaping Nazi Germany. 

Our response matters!

I am convinced that the proper attitude and an open and alert mind to deliberately look for the benefit or to find way to create one is essential to: 

Turn It Into a Blessing!

For many years I have adopted this attitude as my immediate response to adversity. While I may mouth the phrase, the emotional shift doesn’t always happen right away, but it helps. Like anyone, I get angry or depressed or wonder what I can do. But this attitude, this single-minded determination to use every experience to grow or get better in some way even though I may not have a clue as to how something good could possibly come out of the current situation or what I can do, leads me out of an emotional cesspit into appropriate action and positive change.

Finding the blessing is necessarily coupled with the questions:

What Can I Learn from This?

How can I, you, or how can we use our difficult or upsetting situation to be better in some way?

How can it make my, yours, or our ___ (business, relationship, life, health or community) better?

And right now with the crises from Covid 19, all of us can ask:

How can we use our experience with this global pandemic and shutdown to make

  • our countries stronger and better?
  • our business and economies more resilient?
  • our immune system and overall health better?
  • our supply chains more crises proof?
  • the information upon which we base serious decisions more accurate?
  • our food supply less dependent upon non-local sources?
  • our supply of critical items no longer totally dependent upon foreign nations?
  • our source of  personal income less dependent upon only one source?
  • our neighborhoods more supportive?
  • our governments – local, state and national – more responsive to the wishes of it’s ordinary citizens not just the big monied interests?
And how can we make sure others do not take unfair advantage of this or any crises to take away our our health, livelihoods, or our freedoms to enrich themselves and advance their private agendas at our expense?
Copyright 5/4/2020 by Roxanne Louise. However, this article may be shared in other free online sources only if this copyright notice and links are included to http://www.roxannelouise.com and http://unlimitedpotentialhealingcenter.com .

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