The Little Troubles – Daily Meditation 2.28.24

Today’s Quotation:

The little troubles and worries of life, so many of which we meet, may be stumbling blocks in our way, or we may make them stepping stones to a noble character and Heaven.  Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things. -Henry Ward Beecher

Today’s Meditation:

Perspective is one of the most critical aspects of our lives.  How we see things determines more happiness, unhappiness, and positive or negative feelings than we might ever imagine.  One person’s undefeatable obstacle is another person’s stumbling block; what I see as an insult, another person may see as a funny joke.  The way we react to things is usually a reflection of how we’ve seen them.

We all have troubles.  Some of our troubles are easy to work through, such as a flat tire–we replace the flat.  But other troubles, such as the very important meeting we missed because of the flat tire, seem more drastic and critical.  Maybe we’ll even get fired for missing the meeting, which would be an awful problem.  Or would it?

If we can maintain a healthy perspective, we can see that any obstacle put in our way will help us learn and grow and develop our character and ability to help others.  After all, once we go through a particular obstacle or problem, we now have experience, which we can use to help someone else going through something similar.  If we look at our problems and obstacles as tests–life tests that help to form us, not tests that try to determine how much we’ve learned–then we can use that perspective to help us get through them in a positive and constructive way.

A failed relationship will teach us much about ourselves and what we do and don’t like in other people.  A challenging and unpleasant job will teach us much about what we can and can’t do well and what we truly enjoy and don’t enjoy doing.  The death of a loved one can help us to reflect on what that person meant to us and to appreciate those who are still with us.  The list of lessons we can learn from setbacks is endless, but we have to be ready and willing to learn, don’t we?

Questions to ponder:

1.  Can you think of something that happened to you that was “just awful” but was a positive experience?

2.  What things build the most character in us:  the positive, easy, challenging, and sometimes negative?

3.  How would you advise a friend to look at his or her problems?  Do you look at yours in the way that you would advise others to?

For further thought:

Sometimes, things that at the moment may be perceived as obstacles–and be obstacles, difficulties, or drawbacks–can, in the long run, result in some good end that would not have occurred without the obstacle. -Steve Allen

If you missed our last Daily Meditation, it is here.