Something Better in Store

We all thought he was a great guy and that she had finally found "the one" who deserved her.  They were engaged, and we couldn't have been happier about it.  I saw the way he was with my kids and thought to myself how lucky she was to have found a good man like that.

They were enjoying a weekend away from the hustle and bustle of life when he became careless with more than his indiscretions.  She found herself in the ER waiting room, holding his wallet and phone.  Phones have a way of sharing secrets that people won't.  To be sure, she dialed the number of the name that was disguised as a fake man's name.  She heard the ringback tone - a song about infidelity, from the perspective of "the other woman" - and her fears began to materialize into the horrible truth that was eventually confirmed.

Another woman found out her husband had fabricated lies to create a non-existent tragedy that would allow him to make decisions with which she would never agree.  He allowed her to grieve, "consoled" her, all while perpetuating a cowardly lie.  She also learned that he was professing his so-called love to, not one, but two other women all while attempting to portray himself as a loving, devoted husband. 

Learning of these situations chilled me to the core.  I mean they really rattled me.  They made me afraid to trust and love.  If you knew those involved, your jaw would have dropped as well.  You couldn't fathom this sort of behavior from these doting men that everyone applauded and admired. 

In both cases, after going through a time of bone-chilling shock and grief, these women found men (in some odd ways, let me tell you!) who were infinitely better suited to love them than the ones they had promised themselves to.  While their "crashes" were disarming to witness and digest, their ultimate path in life was really something to behold. 

People wonder why God allows bad things to happen to good people.  I don't like to think He lets it happen, as in being "on board" with it, but that He gives us freewill on how we will behave and how we will treat one another.  The men described above bought themselves a one-way ticket to their current realities, which are a bit underwhelming, as I understand.  I also like to think that these experiences are good reminders to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  We don't always understand why bad things happen to us, why people deceive us and cause us pain when we believe we know them so well.  These stories are reminders that sometimes God has something better in store for us down the road.