Turning your 'Worse' into something 'Better'

The opening of duck and goose season was only a week away, so my boys, Alex and Cam, and I decided we needed a little practice to dust off the rust of not shooting since last season. We headed out to a friend’s property to shoot some clay pigeons and try out Cam’s new shotgun. Kristen, along with our daughter Madi, decided to tag along and watch the action and friendly competition between father and sons. After shooting for only five minutes or so, the unthinkable happened. Cam’s gun misfired. I watched the entire incident as if it was in slow motion. I watched the shell explode prior to being in the shooting chamber, blowing smoke and debris into his face and eyes. I watched as he fell to the ground, hands over his face – his reaction to the pain of what just happened. I ran to Cam. Kristen ran away from him - out of fear that the worst had just happened and she couldn’t bear to see her son writhing in agony.

Life has a way of throwing us the unexpected – those “For Better or Worse” circumstances – that come out of nowhere. We all wish for the ‘better’ – good health, financially stable, children that are safe and protected, never a fight or disagreement about anything. The ‘better’ is much easier and certainly more fun. But in reality, that is simply not the case. We are all going to experience difficult things in our marriage – loss of a job, a sick child, family squabbles, etc… yet we all have a choice in how we respond. I heard a wise person (my wife) say this – “You Grow through what you Go Through”. We learn more about ourselves, more about our spouse, and more about our marriage when tough circumstances come our way. How do you deal with tough times? Do you tend to ‘Fight or Flight’ when something bad happens in your marriage? Do you run to each other or away from each other? Do you run to God for wisdom, guidance and support? Or do you run from God?

Looking back at all the crazy circumstances that Kristen and I have encountered over the years, it has been the ‘Worse’ things that have actually made our marriage ‘Better’. These are the times we grew closer to each other and closer to God. Take a minute to reflect on some of your own difficult situations and how you responded. What can you do next time to ensure the ‘worse’ can be used for the ‘better’?

And by the way, Cam turned out to be just fine. A few lacerations to his hand and gun powder lodged in his face and eyes were the extent of it. It could have been much worse and we were thankful he quickly got better!

Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.