No one looks for trouble, and most people, at least, don’t. We seek to avoid pain, discomfort, conflict, and the like in the quest for peace and happiness.
The reality is that trouble is normal and will surely come, no matter your efforts to avoid it. If you don’t look for trouble, trouble will look for you.
Ways we can get into trouble:
- Doing something wrong
The most common way we know why people get into trouble is by doing the wrong thing. It could be breaking the law, having the wrong attitude, making a wrong decision, doing nothing when you ought to do something, or doing it too late, and the list goes on and on.
The first question we often ask ourselves when we get into trouble is “What did I do wrong, or fail to do?”
We look back and review situations for lessons learned and what to do to avoid a recurrence. Some of us learn nothing, and history repeats itself.
- Doing the right thing
You can get into trouble for doing the right thing. If you are dealing with a group of people that cut corners, are criminally minded, ungodly, or embrace lies, telling the truth gets you into trouble.
In a world where people now have their set of facts and truths, you get punished for standing on the universal truth that is constant from generation to generation.
- Doing Nothing
Some people have termed this type of trouble good trouble. Being in good trouble doesn’t make it less painful. Having a good attitude and keeping an eye on the big picture helps go through it.
You can be going about your business, and trouble comes knocking like a bolt from the blue.
It could be being hit by a drunk driver or a driver running from the police, being hit by a stray bullet, a random attack, rape, natural disaster, etc.
You did nothing, but you got impacted. Trying to find out why leads nowhere as you had no way of knowing that being there at that time would make you a victim.
If your dream home lies in a hurricane country, having hurricanes doesn’t come as a surprise to you. You develop a drill to handle incoming hurricanes. From boards and tools to board up your doors and windows, a basement to shelter from the wind, or a carry-on already packed, awaiting evacuation orders. You know the drill, and it becomes routine. You get used to it, and if you have a positive attitude, you can start to see the good side and something to be grateful for. Whether you laugh or cry, it is what it is.
When we start to see the role of trouble in our growth as individuals, we begin to approach it with a gratitude mindset. I remember a write-up I came across giving a different view of common challenges we often grumble about. Having dirty dishes means we just ate. Having stinking diapers means we have children. Having a leaking roof means we are not homeless. Having a nagging spouse means we are married. Having a flat tire means we own a car. Being in pain after an operation means we did not die on the operating table. The list goes on and on. These are all things to be grateful for rather than grumble about.
What does not kill us makes us stronger. Stronger is what we want to be, not weaker. Getting stronger comes from lifting heavier weights. Our attitude towards what life throws at us determines to what extent we enjoy life on our way to becoming who we are born to be. Whether we laugh or cry, it is up to us.
Leave a Reply