They say that bad things happen in threes.

Like, when three well loved celebrities all die in the same week.

Or when your car breaks down, you lose your house keys, and your dog chews up your remote control.

Threes? I have no idea if that’s true.  I think it’s more likely that people tend to just group things into threes and call it a lousy week.

But what I want to talk about today are those rare and potent times in life when bad things seem to happen in sevens.  Or dozens.

Or too many to count.

Ever gone through a time like that?  When disaster lurks around every corner.  When failure appears to be the only option. When you’re no longer surprised by your own bad luck.

In other words:  A seriously, colossally messed up week.

Those are no fun.  I’ve had a few myself.  But is this really an issue of occasional bad luck?

What if the universe has conspired against you?

Maybe it’s karma for your past actions. Maybe you won (lost) some cosmic lottery.

Maybe God is mad at you and has directed all the forces of nature against you.

There are some places out there (even in the Bible) that could lead you to think that maybe God IS out to get you.  Those are typically stories in the Bible told to illustrate a different point.  Trust me, the overall message of the Bible is very different from that notion.

For instance, take a look at Luke 21:5-19.  You can click here to read it yourself.

In this passage, Jesus describes all manner of terrible calamities that may befall disciples:  False prophets, war, earthquakes, plagues, famine, being arrested, family turning against you, and even the possibility of death!

(How’s that for a seriously, colossally messed up week?)

But Jesus concludes this list by simply saying, “if you have endurance, you’ll get through it all okay”.  In other words, if you keep your faith, even when awfulness comes upon you, you’ll be okay, because you’ll still have God.

Or rather, God will still have you.

Hmm.  That seems to rule out God being the cause of your lousy week, doesn’t it?

If anything, God is your escort through the tough times.

That should make you feel a little better, although when you’re in the thick of it all, it may still be hard to appreciate.

Just hold to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and you’ll get through it eventually.

See?

Good things happen in threes, too.

Mitch