Does everything make sense?

At the weekend, I attended a seminar on the topic of „Swing. Your Life in Balance“ held in Oldenburg. In the afternoon, there was delicious coffee and cake, and – thirsty from all the talking – I drank several cups of tea. Later, when I was sitting on the train, they wanted to say goodbye.
So I set off in search of a working toilet on a train completely packed with Christmas market visitors. I walked – honestly – the entire length of the train once. Eight toilets were out of order. Only the very last one worked. Slightly frustrating. I’d actually much rather have been reading and relaxing in comfort than spending part of the train journey wandering through overcrowded carriages.
On the way back, I suddenly heard someone say, „Hello, Kerstin“. A woman who’d taken part in one of our „mountain hut seminars“ a year ago came up to me. It was lovely to see her. If it hadn’t been for the overcrowded toilets, I’d probably never have spotted her.
I only managed to catch the next train – because of the delay – by sprinting. I got into a carriage – and almost turned round to get out again. It stank absolutely horribly of cold sweat. I didn’t want to stay there for an hour. So, on to the next carriage… Just as I sat down, another „Hello, Kerstin…“ A colleague from southern Germany was on the same train. He’d thought of me twice the previous week and wanted to ask for my help with some projects, but had put the idea aside because he thought I’d be very busy. So we had an hour to chat about the projects and personal matters. Just as well.
On the next train – I’d finally just dozed off a bit when the person sitting next to me woke me up again; he’d just come back from the dining car. We got talking – about books and e-books – and he immediately bought „Krisen“, our first inspiration booklet, which is as an iPhone app there is.
At the weekend, a conversation with a young man really moved me. He suffers from a chronic illness. And people have told him, „I’m sure there’s a reason for all of this.“
I don’t believe that everything automatically has a purpose. We live in a world where much is wonderful, but where quite a lot is also thoroughly broken and destroyed. Broken toilets, smelly train compartments, people who wake you from your sleep, and chronic pain – all of that has As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t make sense at the moment.
But in every situation, we have – certainly with God’s help – the opportunity to find meaning give. By making the best of the constraints we face. By shaping what we can shape. With chronic illnesses, one often has no control over the course of the disease – but one does have control over one’s attitude and how one copes with it. This is where one can find meaning and give meaning.
And I do consider it perfectly legitimate to ask God to intervene and act, and to transform „tight“, difficult situations. Before I set off, a woman had prayed for me, asking that I might have a pleasant train journey…