When things don't go the way we think they should

When life threw us a challenge and my kids would say, “That isn’t fair!” I always told them, “Life isn’t fair!” It never seemed to help. Children have an absolute positive belief that life should be fair and that their way is the “right” way. It is one of the most difficult concepts for a child to grasp – and even some adults have a hard time with it, too.

When we make decisions in life we are never sure about the outcome – that is why the decision may be so difficult. So when we make decisions it is with a limited knowledge of how that decision will affect everyone around us. I have been wrong several times in my life. When things don’t turn out how I expected them to it sometimes amazes me.

It is very easy to look at someone else and say, “He/She should have made a different decision.” But we should not look at someone else’s life and think that we know everything about it. Each person brings their own experiences, their beliefs, their relationship with God, even their gut feelings to the table when making a decision. They are making the best decision they can make at the moment. Instead of looking down on that decision I try to think of it this way: “I will support your right to make this decision, I may not agree with you, but I love you and will stand beside you.”

I am not saying I have always been able to do this – trust me – I’ve been miserable about someone making a decision different than I would in several different situations. But I hope with aging comes maturity and with the grace of God that is a gift to all of us when we open our hearts to accept it, I will be able to keep an open mind when faced with difficult situations.