Catastrophe!

As the father of two young children, I get to watch a lot of preschool TV. Disney Junior and Sprout have become two of my favorite channels, and I know my kids won't complain about me saying that.

One of the shows that was on tonight featured two young bunny-like characters. When something would go wrong on the episode, they would shout, "Catastrophe!" in unison.

My wife asked the kids if they knew what that word meant, and they both, predictably, said, "No!" This isn't a word we've often used at home, so I certainly didn't expect them to know it. My wife tried using context clues from the show to help the kids learn the meaning of the word.

This may be a stretch, but I wonder if sometimes God allows us to be in circumstances we don't understand so we can eventually learn to deal with them and help others do the same. It is said that hardships build perseverance. I also believe that hardships can build sensitivity to other's situations.

If you're going through a hard time now, know that I've been there, too. Misery may love company, but ultimately, it needs positive encouragement to subside. Perhaps your current catastrophe will be the empowering victory that someone else in the future will need to get through something they won't understand.

As we go through life, let's keep trusting God. Let's keep learning, persevering, growing, encouraging, teaching, and loving. In the end, I pray we find ourselves better for having the encouragement of those who have learned through their own circumstances before us.

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