Blessings within the Curse

Just the other day, I discovered by way of Facebook (of course), an article about a little girl that was dying of cancer.  With all other medical alternatives exhausted, the doctors tried an experimental treatment of injecting her with the HIV virus.  It worked and the girl was healed!  She now lives a healthy, cancer- (and HIV-) free life!!!  The story was touching and watching the girl go from her death bed to a healthy life brought tears to my eyes.  Medically, it's exciting and I hope that this will indeed be a step towards curing cancer.  I know far too many lives (mine included) that have been negatively affected by cancer and I think the cure for cancer will be the first step towards the most profound evolution in humanity.

But I continued to think about this article, this story, this miracle and the implications of it, for me, were far more profound.  I couldn't help thinking about how something that has been a curse in its own measure, turned out to be the greatest blessing in the life of that family.  And it makes me think about how so many times that proves to be the case in life.  There are many ways to think about it but I look back at my life and I'm amazed at how many "curses" have turned out to be blessings.  They might initially present as "blessings in disguise" but sooner or later, the mask is removed, the veil discarded and the blessing fully and wholly revealed.  And if I were to be completely honest, my greatest blessings in life actually started as what seemed like my greatest curses.

Every source of hurt, pain, rejection, and disappointment has been transformed into something beautiful and wonderful in my life.  And I can honestly say that I've smiled more smiles than I've shed tears.  We say things like "the Lord works in mysterious ways" but that's just because we're limited in our understanding of how a curse so tragic and terrible (like HIV) can transform into the greatest blessing (like a cure for cancer).  But it's there, and it's always been there.  We just didn't know.  And often, it takes such situations turning full circle before we can reach that understanding and acceptance that something bad was actually for our own good.

Of the entire Bible, the verse that has always most strongly resonated with my spirit is Roman 8:28.  "And we know that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."  Regardless of your religious affiliation, I believe this to be true for everyone individually as well as us all collectively.  And if we could reach that understanding and acceptance that something bad is for our own good BEFORE the curse turns into the blessing, how would that change us?  How differently would we live our lives if we faithfully held onto this understanding?  How much faster would you forgive those that hurt and betray you if you knew that in time, in some way, that their actions would end up helping and benefiting you?  My friend and I were discussing the life of Nelson Mandela (may he rest in peace) the other day and like many, we can't help but marvel at his ability to forgive. I believe if I can harness this understanding and acceptance in the midst of the storm and the curse, I can have the rainbow and the blessing before they show themselves.  I can forgive and I can be happy.  I can have a joy that surpasses all understanding because every cloud has a silver lining.  So, as the year 2013 comes to a close and I start reflecting on how I'm going to make the next year the best year, I would like to work towards putting into practice this understanding and acceptance so that I can receive the blessing before it even manifests.  It's there and I know it. And if I ever forget, all I have to do is think about the smile of that little girl that was blessed with HIV.