Lesson 5: Everything Has a Purpose

I often find in my daily life that things happen for a reason. This includes things both small and large. As a case in point, once I showed up to an appointment 10 minutes late because of traffic. It turns out the slow traffic was the result of an accident. If I had started any earlier, it could have been me in that accident. Even though I missed my appointment and had to reschedule for two months later, I was spared worse outcomes such as injury and or repair expenses. Other people tell me similar stories about how small things, that at the moment, we think are the end of the world, can turn out to be blessings in disguise.

Here is a more powerful example. In the summer of 2016, I did not get an internship. At first, I was furious with God and with myself. I did not understand why God would let this happen and how I could have failed to find an internship. What I realized later was that I did not get an internship because God had an even greater plan for me: to travel the US for 80 days out of the back of my car. It was an experience that drastically changed the course of my life.

Now consider the situation from lesson 1. What if the person or persons who stole my stuff on the train were carrying a weapon and I had been awake? Who is to say that plan B would have been to use the weapon(s). After all, I was on a train without security cameras. Being asleep could have made their job easier (if you want to call stealing a job…) and spared my life. It may sound as if I am exaggerating a bit, but I am serious. I spoke to locals in Italy who told me about friends and family members who were injured in robberies.

I realized that I was a lucky man. Even though I lost over $2,000 worth of technology and all my identification, I still had my lovely face to take a picture of and make a new passport. I was able to replace the material things and continue with my life. This experience taught me an enormous amount about myself and about gratitude, which I will discuss in the next life lesson.

The lesson here is that no matter how bad an event is, or how bad you think it is, there is usually a reason for it. Personally, I believe it is an act of God, a plan that he has for a better future. But even if you do not believe in God, I guarantee that something in the universe is dictating all these events. Take some time to think about it and investigate who God is. He has changed my life, and he could change yours. Just think about it.