Acts 8:1-8 / John 6:35-40
When things go wrong, we will naturally get flustered; when unexpected and unhappy things happen we will get frustrated.
That's because we want life to be smooth and secure so that we can feel settled and relaxed.
But history has shown that many discoveries and inventions have their origins in accidents and mistakes and in unexpected events rather than carefully planned programs and experiments.
Such was the case with the discovery of penicillin, corn flakes, saccharin which is the artificial sweetener, the micro-wave oven and many others.
How these taken-for-granted things originated and were discovered is really fascinating and interesting.
The 1st reading gave an account of the persecution of the early Church. There was an exodus of Christians from the country. It was a time of turmoil and distress.
Yet it also brought about an unintended missionary expedition to the outside world.
It may be said that if there were no persecution, then the Christians would be secure and settled at Jerusalem and they won't be going anywhere out of there in their own free will.
And Jesus said in the gospel that He came not to do His own will but the will His Father who sent Him.
We would have realized by now that God's ways are not our ways, God's thoughts are not our thoughts and God's will may not be our will too.
So when things go wrong, when unexpected and unhappy things happen, when things don't go according to what we plan or how we wish it to be, then let us believe that something greater and better is going to happen.
When we can believe that, then life would always be a joyful surprise and we will rejoice at God's marvellous plans.