There are many examples of a life being cut short. Just recently we had the school accident that claimed the life of a school girl in the prime of her life on an excursion while skiing. In golf we had the tragic death of Payne Stewart from a plane crash. In another case some years ago Ross Hebert at 41 years of age with 3 young children and head coach of the Australian Institute of Sport died of cancer.

Then there are the injuries that cut short a promising career, a car accident or the threat of missing a grand final as Nathan Cayless fights against time to be fit for Sunday’s game against Melbourne.

Then there are the recent bushfires in Melbourne that mercilessly destroyed some homes while leaving others intact.

Our reading this week speaks about the unexpected bad events that happen in our life where for no apparent reason hit some people and miss others. The misfortune where the rewards we have worked hard for go to someone else or we miss out on what we think we deserve.

The example given is fish caught in a cruel net, but this example is not true to my experience because the chances are when I go fishing, the fish are in for a lucky day.

These bad events that happen are often out of our control and like natural disasters assure us that our grip on success and life is always tentative. Oh how easy it is to be bitter about such experiences when they happen!

It helps to have a modest expectation of your lot in life. Sure there is a good chance that we can go through life unscathed by unexpected tragedies that our reading speaks of, but how often do we hear the words; “I never thought it would happen to me”

If these things happen, it doesn’t mean God does not love us or has rejected us or is not in control, it’s just that our world is a mixture of the good and bad. If we have avoided these experiences, it means we can show some sympathy and support for those who have, because it could have easily been us.

I try to adopt the attitude that every day is a bonus and am grateful for every good and perfect gift that comes from God. In this way you can enjoy your successes and not be too dismayed when you miss out on something you think you deserve or misfortune gets in the way and robs you of some prize or even your life.

Prayer, Heavenly father, help me to accept the good with the bad in life and to know you are in control of all things.  Amen.