Connecting the Dots: What God Is Doing When Life Doesn't Make SenseSample

The Adventure

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. – G.K. Chesterton

I think most of us would say that we enjoy a good adventure. But most of us want that adventure on our terms. Typically, the adventure we get isn’t the one we would have chosen for ourselves. It usually appears dressed as inconvenience, challenge, and struggle.

When we face the struggle and challenge, we have a decision to make. We can choose to see ourselves in one of two ways:

1. A Victim. You didn’t sign up for this. You thought your spouse would be faithful to the end. You thought you’d always have your health. You thought you were indispensable at your job. But you were wrong. It’s not fair what happened. You were victimized.

It’s easy to sit around and moan and complain about the situation. The problem is, most of life comes down not to what happens to you but to how you interpret what has happened to you—your perspective. If you focus on how you were victimized, your brain will immediately shift into survival mode. You’ll be on edge, constantly watching for threats to your security, connection, and sense of control. You’ll eventually get frustrated, bitter, and resentful. This leads nowhere good and keeps you stuck. So may I suggest another option?

Why not see yourself as:

2. An Adventurer. You didn’t think life would look like this. But you’ve faced hard things before and made it through. And you’re stronger for it. So bring it on! When you choose to see yourself as a willing participant in an adventure—rather than a victim—your brain chemistry actually begins to shift. Your mind goes into exploration-and-learning mode rather than fear. Seeing the challenges as an adventure is a small perspective shift that can change everything.

In every heroic story, the character sets out on the adventure and learns and grows through the challenges on their path. The battles they face –externally and internally—help the hero discover things about themselves they never realized. The struggles and battles strengthen and prepare them.

That's how Paul could say he rejoiced in his suffering. You can only rejoice in suffering when you're confident that God is going to use it to make you stronger and more like Him. It's no fun to suffer, but when you know there's something good on the other side, it helps you push through. Like working out at a gym stretches and tears our physical muscles to build strength, life's challenges grow our spiritual strength.

The challenges you're facing in this season are preparing you for the glory that Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 4. That glory is a shining example to the world of God’s work in your life. As you boldly face your adventure, you learn and grown. Your survival story can become someone else’s survival manual as they face their own struggles.

God wastes nothing. He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him – even the struggles you are currently facing.

In the book Connecting the Dots, I talk about how every stage of the journey in every season of life has prepared you with a new perspective and mission. That's the final goal and endpoint of the circle of each season. It's the part where God redeems what happened to you and truly works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

My prayer for you is that whatever stage or season you are in right now, you can keep your perspective lifted. You can be confident that one day you'll look back and be able to connect the dots of his work in your life.

This Bible reading plan was adapted from Connecting the Dots: What God is Doing When Life Doesn’t Make Sense by Joël Malm.