John Wooden was an enormously successful basketball coach, leading UCLA to 10 championships in the 12 years he coached there.  He was admired for his coaching prowess, but he was also respected as a coach who shaped the character of his players.  Today I stumbled across a quote of his.  It was new to me, but perhaps you are already familiar with it.  Wooden said:

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

When I read that, I immediately thought about what Paul said in his letter to the Thessalonians:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thes. 5:17-18)

It’s tempting to bristle at the words of Paul or Wooden.  One is tempted to say, “Don’t tell me to make the best of things.  Things are heart-breaking.  Things are desperate.  Things are falling apart.”  Truthfully, that’s almost always true to some degree.  Things are never perfect.  Often, they do not lead us to blissfully rejoice or to give thanks spontaneously.

But do it any way.

Do it because there is grace in every moment.  Even in the moments of desolation, Christ is present with you.  He knew desolation too, feeling forsaken on the cross.  In his desolation, Christ has made our desolation holy.   God’s saving presence attends the whole of our human experience.  God in Christ has joined us in our sorrow as well as our joy.  Even our most terrifying circumstances do not take us out of God’s loving embrace.

But we can miss it if we see only the pain and not the One who stands beside us.

It is certainly not just the great tragedies that sap life of its joy.  I have observed that people often courageously endure the worst that life has to offer, but we fall into rage and despair over frustrations and disappointments that are trivial in the greater scheme of things.

Cultivate an attitude of acceptance and thanksgiving.  Look for the grace in every moment.  We are made in the image and likeness of God, so let your God-given creativity flourish to make something beautiful of the mess that life sometimes serves up.

Rejoicing and giving thanks in all circumstances is not only what God asks of us, it is also the best way to live a fulfilled life under imperfect conditions.

Prayer: Look, I’m not saying that I’m done complaining to you, but for now, I thank you for the goodness you have hidden in the middle of this bad day.  Amen.