“You have to think there’s a reason for everything. When a door closes another door opens.” (Chris Daughtry)
I was pumped. The weekend retreat my sponsee Michael was about to go on was finally upon him. This being the very same retreat I went on 20 years ago for a spiritual organization that has completely changed my life, enough so that my passion for it has convinced many over the years to go on it as well, including Michael. On the night before his was to begin, we spoke on the phone where I wished him well and told him I’d speak to him on the other side. I could hear the excitement in his voice. The next afternoon, just about the time he was supposed to be arriving at his retreat, my phone rang, it was him. Wondering if he had a last-minute question to ask me, I picked up, only to find out his girlfriend had just gotten into a pretty serious accident. Sadly, he had to abruptly cancel his participation on the retreat because of it and said he hoped to go on one in the very near future.
While I supported his decision because it was the right thing to do, to be there for his girlfriend who got pretty banged up, I instantly became mad at God. Mad that He had let this accident happen when He knew how much Michael wanted to go on this retreat. And mad because I know He knew Michael has been looking for some much-needed guidance and direction in life, especially as of late.
I’m quite sure everyone has experienced this at some point or another in life, where they suddenly saw their spiritual path diverted due to some type of emergency that arose in their life.
As I sat there and pondered why God allowed this, it hit me. Maybe the retreat Michael was meant to be on with the specific guidance and direction he needs wasn’t going to happen during this one? Maybe the piece of spiritual work he was going to do on the retreat wouldn’t have gotten achieved for his highest potential there? Knowing each of this organization’s retreats gets different leaders and different staff, I started to see that maybe God saw a better path for Michael beyond my limited ego’s perception of the matter.
The truth is, maybe everything really does happen for a reason, that this door needed to be closed for another one to open, the best one for Michael, one that only God could see. After I came to acceptance of that, I must say I felt a whole lot better…
Dear God, I know it’s quite easy to get upset at You when life doesn’t go our way, when something we’re looking forward to in our life or in another’s ends up having to change because something else suddenly alters the course of things. Help us to accept that everything happens for a reason and that when one door closes, another one opens, and when it does, it’s typically one that will bring us close to our Highest Potential that only You can see…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
