Downton Abbey

I am a fan of the British show, Downton Abbey, which airs on PBS. In one season, I was quite upset when one of the main characters died on his way home after a very tender scene in a hospital with him, his wife, and their newborn son.  I was moved from tears of joy to tears of sorrow within minutes. I knew that my reaction was influenced not just by his death but also by the death earlier in the season of another of my favorite characters.  Two major losses in one season? I wanted to ask the writers and producers, "Are you serious?" and then sternly add, "One loss per season is enough, thank you."

As often happens in real life when we are hit by loss or other hard life events, I felt compelled to figure out why.  What reason did the writers and producers have for including such a plot in the story? My hunt took me through several online articles to one that explained it all. Somehow, knowing there was a reason, an explanation for the “deaths" of two of my favorite characters helped to ease “the pain of their passing." J 

This experience with Downton Abbey reminded me that often I do not find the explanation I desire for the difficult seasons of my life, no matter how hard I seek for one.  What I do receive are God's comfort, His peace, His abounding grace, His strength to endure, and His promises to which I have sometimes clung with a white-knuckled grip. God owes me no explanations but I can be assured of His presence every moment and every step of my journey. So can you.