• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Crossroads Professional Counseling

Christian Counseling | Baton Rouge + Prairieville

Providing Professional Christian Counseling and Coaching to the Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.

225-341-4147
  • Home
  • Christian Counseling
    • Marriage
    • Individual
    • Family
    • Children and Teenagers
  • Life Coaching
  • Coaching Programs
    • Life by Design Program
    • Career By Design Program
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Sue J. Miley LPC, MA, MBA
    • Suzanne K. Jones, LPC, MA
    • Cheryl Brodnax, LPC, M.A., M.B.A., M.S.
  • Contact Us

When Bad Things Happen

October 14, 2013 By Suzanne Jones

Hi! Thanks for visiting! To make life easier, you may want to subscribe free to my Email feed. !


When bad things happen, sometimes it is merely frustrating but other times it can be overwhelming, even paralyzing. It is impossible to go through life unscathed. We all experience bad things from time to time. Jesus told us we’d have trouble in this life-I don’t know why that still surprises me.

Victim or Survivor?

We are changed by these unwanted experiences. Some of us become cynical, bitter, and closed off. Others grow and become wiser for the pain. Some people remain forever victims and some not only survive but thrive. How can we make sure our pain isn’t wasted? What can we do to move from incredible pain to a place of peace?

I love the mountains. I grew up in Alaska where I was always surrounded by enormous, spectacular peaks. Besides their breath-taking beauty, for me they represent an important spiritual truth. Something or someone out there is MUCH bigger than me and my problems. And that someone may know something I don’t.

Predicting the Future

Part of what make our trials difficult is that we don’t know what the future will bring. We have a tendency to predict the future through the lens of the emotions we are feeling in the moment. If I am tired and discouraged, I predict that the future will bring more of the same.

When my oldest daughter was little, she used to read the last chapter of her books first before she started from the beginning. She explained that she could relax and enjoy the story when she knew how it would turn out. If only life worked that way! We’re told in scripture that all things work together for good for the people of God, but it sure doesn’t feel like it when you are in pain. That is where faith comes in.

Joseph’s Story

The reality is we can’t know the end of the story when we are in the middle of it. One of my favorite stories from scripture is the story of Joseph. Let me give a quick summary.

Joseph was one of twelve brothers. He was dad’s favorite and as a result, his jealous older brothers beat him up, threw him in a pit, debated killing him, and ultimately humiliated him by selling him as a slave. Then of course they lied to their dad about what happened-a horrible secret they had to live with for years.

Betrayed Again

Betrayed by his own family! Can’t you just imagine what was going through Joseph’s mind while he was in that pit? What did I do to deserve this? My brothers are horrible! God, where are you? I’m alone and life is so unfair!

Well, it gets worse. Joseph was sold to a powerful man and being a resourceful guy, he made the best of it, worked really hard, and earned a great reputation. And then bad things begin to happen again. Joseph was sexually harassed by his owner’s wife, falsely accused, and wrongfully imprisoned. What incredible, rotten luck! Betrayed twice in his relatively young life!

Well, it gets worse again. Joseph is forgotten in prison for a very long time. The temptation to give in to self-pity and hopelessness must have been incredible. Life had truly been unfair. Joseph was a victim of betrayal, slander, injustice, and neglect.

Incredible Turnaround

But then something incredible happened that changed everything. Joseph had the gift of dream interpretation and a former cell mate just “happened” to remember this. As a result, Joseph got an audience with the most powerful man in the kingdom. The insight he offered created new job opportunities, saved thousands of people, and ultimately catapulted Joseph into a position of freedom and power. But that isn’t the best part of the story-although it’s pretty great!

Through the Eyes of Faith

The amazing part of the story is that Joseph’s brothers came to plead for help and because of all the crazy, awful circumstances that lead Joseph to where he was, he could either choose to help them or get revenge. His response to his brothers is one of the most powerful and moving parts of scripture, in my opinion. He told them, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”  Joseph was able to experience and see that all things work together for the good of God’s people-even the rotten stuff. His forgiveness and compassion came from knowing all the bad things that happened to him were actually for the best, although at the time it surely must not have felt that way.

We don’t get to know the end of our story. But we can choose to exercise our faith that God is in control and life is unfolding as it should. When we do,  we begin to shed the bitterness of victimhood and move toward a life that is again full of possibilities and hope.

______IMG_20130922_120441_____________________________________________

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a registered nurse with several years experience helping people with healthy, successful living.

Suzanne Jones, BSN, LPC, NCC                                     (225) 278-3541                                    [email protected]

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Anxiety/Depression, Christian Living Tagged With: anxiety, control, depression, faith, Fear, God's will, hope, pressure, stress, Suffering, Trust

About Suzanne Jones

Suzanne is a board certified Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Licensed Professional Counselor. After working several years as a nurse, she decided to pursue counseling. She earned her MA in counseling from Louisiana State University. After counseling for ten years, she earned her MS in Nursing from the University of South Alabama, to augment her practice. Her combination of credentials underscores her belief that medications may be necessary at times, but, the real work of change happens in therapy. Her training and personal philosophy are holistic, considering the emotional, physical, social, spiritual, and even academic/career concerns of her clients.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle Jackson says

    May 9, 2016 at 11:12 pm

    Thank you Jesus, I know I was meant to see this at this very moment.. He is always right on time! I prayed not even 30 mins ago that He please show me how great His love is for me, I am going through exactly what Joseph went through… I can’t rest assured, no matter what tomorrow holds, that Jesus loves me so so so much! Thank you for this awesome post, it’s helped me more than you know

Primary Sidebar

Connect With US

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Blog Categories

  • Anxiety/Depression
  • Career
  • Christian Living
  • conflict resolution
  • Emotions
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Marriage/Couples
  • Mental Health
  • Parenting/Family
  • Transitions
  • Uncategorized

Visit our Christian Business Coaching Site

Crossroads-Professional-Coaching

Where Christian Values & Good Business Converge

Footer

VISIT OUR CHRISTIAN BUSINESS COACHING WEBSITE

Crossroads-Coach-Logo-in-White

SUBSCRIBE FOR RESOURCES, UPDATES AND ARTICLES

CROSSROADS PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING

8280 YMCA Plaza Dr.
Building 10-B
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70810
(225) 341-4147

CONNECT WITH US

Facebook-Icon Google-Plus-Icon Linkedin-Icon Twitter-Icon

Copyright © 2023 · CROSSROADS PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING | Privacy Policy | Privacy Tools

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT