Return to Sender

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"Attitude is the little thing that makes a BIG difference." ~ Winston Churchill

Attitudes. They are ours to choose. Although we cannot always control our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them with our attitudes.
Let's be honest. Finding people with a positive outlook on life these days can be challenging. Life can be tough, but maintaining a positive attitude makes it so much easier to navigate.

One of my students came in one morning with an excitement he couldn't contain. When I asked him how he was doing, he ecstatically exclaimed, "This is THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Feeling a bit uninspired that day, he sure got my attention.

I had an "I'd like some of that positive energy" moment.

I quickly inquired, "Why is today the best day of your life?" As his teacher, I was really interested to hear what he liked about school or perhaps what he had going on after class.

​Without hesitation, he responded, "Today is the best day of my life because today is the day I get to do my special job around the school, taking out the garbage and recycling."

Wow! That really got me! I thought, God bless that little guy for having such excitement and a positive attitude towards of all things, taking out the trash!

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This really got me thinking. It's one thing to manage our attitudes and outlooks with the day-to-day tasks on our agendas, but what about the really hard stuff, the unwelcome "garbage" that sometimes enters our lives? How do we handle that without falling apart?

Let me explain.

​Many things come into our lives that we did not want or ask for. We question God or wonder why this or that has happened to us in the first place. We immediately want to go to what my mom would always call The Complaint Department and say, "Return to Sender" on all this immediately.

Many times in my life, I have been so confused and felt like saying, "Excuse me, God, I asked for a job, and I have none. I asked for this relationship to work out, and here I am in heartbreak. I asked for a child, and all I got were fertility struggles and miscarriages. I asked you to heal my mom, and she died. What is going on here? Do you even hear me? Did you misunderstand? I did not ask for any of this! I would like to return all this to Sender and exchange it ASAP."

Many of us have asked for blessings, and instead, we got failed relationships, heartbreak, health struggles, difficult people, challenging circumstances, delayed answers to serious requests, immense grief, and unfulfilled dreams. We just don't get it.

I have been there so many times, and believe me, I don't understand this either.

All I can tell you is what I have learned throughout the years: we must learn to TRUST. I know this is easier said than done, so please stay with me.

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I remember hearing a quote that I can really connect to as an educator: "The teacher is always quiet during the test." We don't always get the answers we need when we need them.

Just because things are unfolding differently than we wanted or thought, does not mean that things are not going to come around for us in time. God does things differently than we imagine. When we can't see His hand, we have to trust His heart, even if at the time our heart is breaking.

Every trial or hardship we face allows something to grow in us and for God to do a work in us.

It can be so painful, but God has promised to be with us through it all, the good times and the bad. I can testify that in some of the hardest times of my life, God has done the most beautiful work behind the scenes.

It's okay to be angry.

It's okay to not understand.

It's okay to want better for your life.

It's okay to want to say Return to Sender on all of it.

Just work through those feelings, and know that even when you feel so alone, God is still working on your behalf. You just have to trust Him on this one.

​In Isaiah 61:3, it says He will give us beauty for ashes. ​

He will not give you garbage in the end.  Just you wait and see.

Until next time,
Dana

Call to Action:
How do you maintain a positive attitude during tough times? Challenge yourself this week to find the positive in a difficult situation and share your story with us in the comments below. Let’s inspire and support each other on this journey! If you found this post helpful, subscribe to my blog for more insights and encouragement. Let’s navigate life’s challenges together!

Little Lesson Learned: Some of the most beautiful growth takes place during the hardest seasons of our lives.

Tags: Can I trust God? What does trust in the Lord with all your heart mean? Proverbs 3: 5-6, Where is God in the hard times? What does lean on your own understanding mean? faith, trusting in God, What does it mean that God orders our steps? challeging times

Copyright: © 2025 littlelessonslearnedbydana (Dana Romualdi) ​

Author

Dana Romualdi is a Canadian elementary teacher, blogger, author, and speaker. She wholeheartedly desires to "love God and love people." With a passion for helping others and spreading much-needed encouragement, Dana makes a positive impact wherever she goes. She lives in Canada with her husband and two grown children.