It has been said repeatedly but bears being stated one more time:  Life is hard.  There are so many ups and downs, along with good experiences and bad.  We walk through failures, heartache, relationship struggles, loss, difficulties, our own and others’ sin, and slow decay of our bodies.  The good news is that each of these events can have a positive outcome.

Bad experiences can turn good when …

1. They bring you closer to God.
2. They positively change you.
3. They bring you closer to other people.

These occurrences are often opportunities for us to evaluate what is profoundly important.  They cause us to ask questions of eternal significance.  They push us toward relationships with God and others.  Every bad incident has the power to help us come to our senses concerning the depravity of life and the joy of faith. 

All of us dread the challenging encounters that make life hard.  Through the years, I have observed that not all bad experiences become bad memories.  The pain may be the exact thing you need to make your life more fulfilling.