Learn the Lesson – One of life’s most perplexing questions is, “Why did that happen?” There we are, minding our own business, and “wham!!!” something happens that shakes our world. Someone leaves us, someone dies, we lose our job, our business goes under, or things happen that we don’t like. We do everything we were told would bring us happiness or abundance, and it doesn’t work. We can’t understand why we are getting what we are getting.
The first element of this puzzle is our motivation. Why did we do what we did? Did we do something that looked nice, but we were hoping that we would get rewarded? Isn’t that what religion is all about? We are told that if we follow the rules, we will be blessed. However, sometimes we follow the rules and we get slammed. What good is religion? The answer is that our motivation will determine the result. If we do something hoping to be rewarded or to be perceived as someone we are not, the result may not be what we want. It does make a difference “why” we do things. If we sacrifice for a greater reward, we may not get the greater reward, and we will be a double loser. However, if we do something with good intentions because we feel fulfilled and blessed, then we feel good about it no matter what the result.