"How wonderful the affair of the believer is! Indeed, all of his affairs are good for him. This is for no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is grateful to Allah (God), which is good for him. And if something bad happens to him, he has patience, which is good for him." - Prophet Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be Upon Him
Bad things happen.
Not only that, but it seems as if it happens to good people more often than not.
Whether it's someone getting into a car accident, a laptop's battery dying right when someone started an online final, getting blamed for something you never did, or friends betraying you, the possibilities for something bad to happen are endless.
And for some strange reason, the good people in this world get the brunt of the it.
It's as if right when you choose to become a better individual, the world says, "Oh, let me see if you're actually trying to be good; trying to stay on the straight path."
Because I'll tell you something you probably already know. It doesn't matter how long you've walked the path. Maybe you've been walking it for years, maybe you've only been walking it for days, and bad things have happened to you as a result.
Trial after trial after trial, you get tested with your righteousness, no matter how far you are on that path.
And then BOOM.
Something even worse happens. Something happens that tests your faith and almost pushes you back to where you started.
You feel like your energy to continue on path to righteousness is over. You think there's no way you're going to make it forward. There's no way you're going to be free of this catastrophe, whatever it may be.
It's like a boulder that covered the whole horizon came tumbling down your path out of nowhere, and threw you back to stage one.
But to be honest, it isn't the 'stage one' you think it is.
Sure, this catastrophe pushed you back, but that just gives you a chance to make your struggle more noble.
It gives you a chance to bounce back; to go back on the path as a stronger and wiser version of yourself.
See, there's a concept in my religion of Islam in which all events in a Believer's (you can say that "Believer" in this sense is someone who has full conviction in the Divine Power which controls the universe. We like to call this Divine Power, God) life are favorable. It comes from a Hadith, or saying of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings be Upon Him which goes as follows:
"How wonderful the affair of the Believer is! Indeed, all of his affairs are good for him. This is for no one but the Believer. If something good happens to him, he is grateful to Allah (God), which is good for him. And if something bad happens to him, he has patience, which is good for him."
Here, Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings be Upon Him is saying that whoever is a Believer (according to the definition I have previously mentioned above the quote) has only favorable outcomes. Even with those perceived to be bad.
If something happens which is good and this individual is then grateful, more good things will happen according to the Law of Attraction (click here to read my article on the Law of Attraction).
And if something bad happens to the point where the individual is being harshly tested with his/her true character, it is still good. Now why is that?
It is often said that to cultivate your greatest qualities and manifest your truest, most genuine self to the world, trials have to occur. Tests have to happen. This Divine Power has to give you a hard time in order for you to attain that goodness; that righteousness you desire.
A famous Stoic philosopher and Roman Statesman by the name of Lusius Annaeus Seneca once said, "A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials."
No wonder bad things happen to good people.
So as this bad thing happens, whatever it is, embrace it. Endure it with patience. Its friction will allow you to bounce back, and become the gem you wish to see yourself become.
It must be understood that nothing worthwhile in life is free for the picking. The way life was made (according to what I've seen in the 19 years of my life so far) shows that what is worthless is what comes easy.
Only the things that force you to use your blood, sweat, and tears are what's worthwhile. Some may disagree with me on this, but they can't refute the undoubtful fact that if you are either given $100 for free or given $100 for hard work, the latter would be worth more to you. It would be sweeter to you. They're the fruits of life. Hence the saying "the fruits of your labor".
Therefore, understand that the setbacks are inevitable. The boulders on your path will come tumbling down on you, and it's for the sake of that goodness to be ever so sweeter and worthwhile and noble. But only if you stand yourself back up, shake the dust off your clothes, maintain the conviction of a Believer, and bounce back.