Wilson suggests that personal well-being is the byproduct of happiness which results from three ingredients; meaning, hope, and purpose. Wilson has found that people of faith are able to create a personal life narrative that embraces these three ingredients. So what if life events have interrupted a person’s pursuit of these three goals? Wilson suggests the following; “The next time you think about an upsetting event from your past, remember to take a step back and analyze it from a distance.” This can be done by the writing technique we suggested last week. Being able to work through a past hurt without being overcome by the negative emotions allows one to form a new narrative that will lend one hope for the future. This is not to suggest that one should rewrite history as if something never happened but to recognize that if we allow God’s power to redeem us, we will have taken much of the negative side effect out of our struggle. Although this practice can be initially frightening, the long-range benefits greatly outweigh the temporary pain.
Os Hillman describes the difficult times of our lives as desert experiences. He says, “God leads us into the solitude of the desert place so that we can meet him and hear Him speak.” If we struggle with God in the desert, meaning, hope and purpose will be renewed in our lives.
Next week we’ll talk about how to become more effective in helping children shape their lives.