A good way to remain upbeat even when things appear negative is to learn to put a new construction on them. There is a story of a pastor I always recall whenever I teach about thanksgiving. His attitude every Sunday before launching his sermons was to thank the Lord profusely. On one occasion, there was a bad weather which almost paralyzed everything and led to low attendance. Someone who had noticed his attitude of thanksgiving thought that he would find nothing for which to thank God on such a day, but he came home disappointed when the pastor said, “Lord, I thank You because it has not always been like this.”

We also can find beauty in virtually every seeming disaster if only we will adjust our gaze and allow God to work everything out after the counsel of His will.

Having a good construction over issue was what one Louise adopted to handle situation when she was raped. Louise was raped by someone who should be protecting her. Things got worse for her when she discovered that she got pregnant from the assault. Feminists often make a strong case for abortion in such circumstance; but Louise would have none of that. She said, “When people say abortion is needed in cases of rape, I feel that is very unfair. If your body has already started to create life, undoing that process seems very detrimental. I also knew that there’s already a heart beating. There’s already a life there. And for me to go and intentionally take away someone’s intent to life, that wouldn’t sit well with me for the rest of my life.” For her, aborting the baby would amount to letting an innocent life pay for the rapist’s crime. She would later describe her child at birth as “beauty in the disaster.” We also can find beauty in virtually every seeming disaster if only we will adjust our gaze and allow God to work everything out after the counsel of His will.