I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “You may not always get what you want, but God always gives you what you need”, or versions of it? Otherwise known as ‘blessings in disguise’, these are objects or experiences which may seem on the surface to be challenges, frustrations or even huge disappointments – and yet you come to appreciate that they were actually exactly what you needed, and all in divine design and timing!
Well, this has certainly happened to me many times, as I’m sure it has you too! Ever had one of those journeys where you seem to catch every red light when you’re trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible… only to find that you narrowly missed an accident you might have been involved in if it had been green lights all the way? Or being gutted for missing out on a job opportunity you’d been hankering after for ages…only to be offered another one later on that feels like it’s been tailor-made for you?
However big or small these blessings in disguise may be, for me they certainly give credence to the bigger plan, or soul contract, we each come to this physical life with and how the Universe (and our Higher Selves) are always working on our side to ensure we get what we came here for…and don’t get what isn’t meant for us!
The one for me that always stands out in my mind is when I was about 18. I was working in town for a large American company and had just ‘upgraded’ my first car (a little Peugeot 205, proudly bought within days of passing my driving test with money I’d saved since I started working at 16).
I part-exchanged it for a 5 door Vauxhall Astra Antibes (I also remember my sister calling me ‘manly’ for liking and knowing so much about cars, haha!). It was a sporty, limited edition and felt amazing to drive! I’d bought it on the Saturday and after taking a few friends and family members out for a spin over the weekend, I drove it into work on the Monday morning, looking forward to showing it off to my colleagues.
Our company car park was based in the oldest multi-storey in town, just across the road from our offices. It was one of those with tight corners and pillars every 10 feet, but I was a confident driver and hadn’t been bothered by them before, so thought no more of them as I drove up the ramp and onto our designated floor. However, as I took the second corner towards some free spaces, I heard a horrible scraping sound of metal against concrete. I knew immediately what must have happened and felt sick with the anticipation of what I was going to find, as I slowly pulled into the nearest available space. Waiting a few moments to take a few deep breaths and prepare myself, I climbed out and went round to the passenger side…only to find a huge dent with scrape marks around it on the rear passenger door!
I could have cried there and then! I felt doubly sick and completely annoyed with myself, not to mention embarrassed! How could I have done this? I was a careful and competent driver, wasn’t I? And on just my 3rd day of owning the car! After gathering my bag and coat, (not to mention my wits), I headed into the office, head filled with questions about how I was going to fix this. As I’ve always been punctual (well, early for most things would be more accurate), I still had time before work started to put in a call to a car mechanic my family knew. I explained what had happened and was relieved when he said he could check it out for me if I could drop it to him later that evening.
I waited with dread for his call the following day to let me know what he’d found. When he did call, I heard those awful words:
“Well, there’s good news and bad news”.
“What’s the good news?” I asked, always one to look for the positives first in a situation!
“I can repair the dent, knock it back out and re-spray it to look almost as good as new”, he replied.
“Great! Soooo….what’s the bad news?” I tentatively enquired, not sure I really wanted to hear his response. But of all the things I’d been expecting, such as an extortionate quote or taking weeks for replacement parts or to fit in his schedule etc, it certainly wasn’t what followed…
“You probably won’t want me to, because the car’s a cut-and-shut, otherwise known as a death trap!”
You could have knocked me down with a feather! As he went on to explain, a ‘cut-and-shut’ is a term used in the trade for when 2 cars, which have typically been in write-off accidents and are no longer whole, are welded together to form 1 new car. The trouble is, these are generally dodgy jobs and, as he described to me, are not likely to stay intact should they ever be involved in an accident.
“So, you’re lucky that you only had a minor prang in it against a motionless pillar, because if you’d crashed with another car, it’s likely 1 part of the car would have gone one way and the other part another…and there’s no telling where you would have ended up!”
That whole situation shook me up for a while. Needless to say, I took the car straight back to the dealer who sold me it and demanded a full refund of my money, otherwise I was going straight to the press and the police to report him!
However, once I’d calmed down (and purchased another car from a more reputable dealership), I was able to step back and view this as one of those blessings in disguise…my Team were watching over me and made sure I had a minor accident that wouldn’t cause me any harm, but would do enough damage to ensure I got it checked over by a professional and found out.
Whenever I recognise these blessings that occur, however big or small, I always give thanks to my Team for looking out for me and keeping me safely on my path.
What blessings in disguise have you experienced, that you can give thanks for?
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