One of the biggest causes of individual stress is having to deal with a situation that doesn't go the way you want it to. When you try to close a deal with a client but it falls through, when you plan for a vacation and it doesn't happen, or when you shoot for a career opportunity but it falls flat, we can often get worked up about it.
But there's a reality of life that is simple enough for us to grasp, but never easy to swallow. That reality is the reality that not everything will go our way. You can call it bad luck or "persecution," but you're always going to face a situation that doesn't fit the bill of what you thought should have happened. And that's not always necessarily a bad thing. In fact, many times that's a good thing.
One instance we can learn from Jesus about facing unwanted circumstances is found in Matthew 26:39: "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
What Jesus was basically saying here is, "Father, this really isn't turning out the way I want it to anymore, but it's not about what I want or think but about what you want and think." How do we come through circumstances that do not fall the way we want to? Here's a tip for all of us today: Stop thinking it's about what you want.
