Not too long ago I talked about programs on the health channel and how it's encouraging to see those who were afflicted experience a happy ending. Well those stories are true stories and life doesn't always turn out the way we hoped. I saw one program about a man who was crossing the railroad tracks when his foot got caught in the railing. When the police found his body several minutes after he'd been hit by a train they thought he was dead. All were shocked when he suddenly sat up, looked at his severed arm lying away from him and shouted for the officers to kill him. The man survived this nightmare but his left arm and right hand could not be saved. The doctors knew that the patient lived alone and would have trouble managing a prosthesis so they decided to attach the good left hand to the intact right arm. The patient looked strange, as his thumb was backwards but he was able to function and didn't have to be institutionalized.

Interestingly the man said that his life was better after the accident. He'd become something of a celebrity. Only 5 people in the world have had this type of procedure. Everywhere he went people would talk to him about his unusual condition. He became very outgoing and lived a full life. This is not the happy ending that any of us would probably hope for. No one wants to be hit by a train and no one wants to lose a limb. I'm so glad this man had the grace to realize that his life actually changed for the better. It would have been too easy to get stuck on what he'd lost and the tragic aspects of what happened. This man had the wisdom to know that even though he never would have asked for such an experience, it worked out for his good. He wasn't a victim - but an overcomer.
 
 

God's Beloved we too must learn to recognize our happy endings. Sometimes we experience losses and tragedies that could be devastating. I like that the doctor stopped to consider the patient's needs before proceeding. He understood that the man lived alone and wouldn't be able to function without a hand. The doctor was willing to perform the long, painstaking, unorthodox procedure because he knew it would give his patient a better life. Well our God is far more loving and willing to go the extra mile for us. God not only considers our best interests, He has already made a plan for them. The doctor was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. God won't allow a situation to come to you unless it will work for your good.

In the movies the hero always saves the day and gets the girl, etc. In the fairy tales the princess and the prince live happily ever after, and no one loses any arms or legs. In reality we face difficult circumstances, but if we love God and are called to His purposes, we'll see that no matter what happens it's working for our good. Let us not focus on what we've lost, but be grateful for what we have. Just because things didn't end the way you wanted, doesn't mean you can't still be happy.