We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose (Romans 8:28, AMP).
With only twelve official legal holidays in the USA, it requires a remarkable occasion to have a holiday. We have holidays to celebrate our independence, memorialize our veterans, and contemplate all the things we are thankful for. We also honor great people and their accomplishments. Holidays are so scarce that all forty-three of the men who have been our president have to share a single day! When you think about it, there are only two people who have achieved such distinction that they have their own holidays—Martin Luther King Jr. and Christopher Columbus. And you know what is strange about that? Columbus was a failure!
That’s right. Christopher Columbus was on a mission to find a shorter trade route to India, but instead he missed it by more than nine thousand miles. Nine thousand miles! But that failure put a spotlight on new lands that motivated future explorers, attracted settlers, and eventually resulted in the creation of great nations. It was one of history’s biggest blunders, yet we celebrate the failure every year with one of our national holidays.
The next time you think you've made a big mistake, think about the legacy of Christopher Columbus. You’ll see that God can turn your blunder into an unexpected good.
