“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” Acts 8:4

Is the glass half empty or half full? This question determines whether one is a pessimist or an optimist.

How we view things determines how we categorize them, and how we categorize them determines how we deal with them.

For those in the early church, the persecution they encountered could have been categorized as disastrous. The afflictions they faced brought real suffering, and decisions had to be made for individuals to leave their homes and places of comfort and flee. But in the fleeing, something amazing happened: Their faith went with them.

The cause of Christ that burned within refused to be extinguished. Rather, through the hardships they dealt with, it found a place to grow.

In the scattering of the faithful, more people were introduced to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The situations you face today may not be pleasant, and you may not fully understand how it can work out for your good (Romans 8:28), but God does, and He is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20).

Father God, I may not understand everything I encounter today, but I know that You always have my best in mind, and it is in Your hands I place my trust. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, I pray, AMEN.