There’s something I feel God has taught me very well over the course of my life. When a circumstance goes a way you never intended, let it. When people abandon, reject, or ignore you, let them. When life is dull, painful, or chaotic, endure it. Often times it’s the things we think we don’t want that are causing a ripple effect, pushing us upstream and leading us toward the things we do want, the things God has in store for us. We all can benefit from learning to be more peace-filled, fluid, “go with the flow”—I guess you could say, we could all benefit from being more like water.

I recently got a new kitchen faucet. It’s beautiful, and I couldn’t be happier about it, but there was one problem; it lacked a particular piece that screwed into my water filter. “No problem.” The maintenance man assured me. “Let me get that piece for you.” Note, I didn’t ask him; he offered. In fact, I even asked if he could just tell me what part I needed, and I would simply go buy it myself. He assured me, it was no trouble at all and said I probably wouldn’t be able to find what I needed by myself. So I obliged. If someone tells me they’re going to do something, I expect them to do it, though that’s something God has been working to teach me I shouldn’t.

A week went by, and I hadn’t heard from the man, so I decided to call him. He told me he hadn’t had a chance to go by the store but would let me know as soon as he did. “For sure within the next week” were his exact words. I gave him longer than that; I gave him two full months before I contacted him again. When I finally did, he confessed he had forgotten. He told me to give him until the end of the day, and he would once again get back to me. The day ends without me ever getting that phone call.

I was done, absolutely done. If I couldn’t get a filter that attached to my sink, maybe I could get a pitcher. I kept searching until I came across the pitcher of all pitchers—one that filters out even more than my faucet filter. That’s when I realized, this failure to follow through with what had been promised would actually be a blessing if I made the choice to buy this better quality filter. I truly believe this was God’s plan to begin with.

The sad truth is that so often we put a wall up, and we block the very thing God is trying to bless us with by grumbling, by complaining, by avoiding, by chasing. I could have kept calling this man over and over to get what I wanted, but wisdom told me it wasn’t worth it; wisdom told me God had something greater.

I hope this inspires you to take note the next time a door closes in your face, and ask yourself if it’s really worth fighting to keep it open. Maybe what’s behind that door was never meant for you; maybe that closed door will lead to the opening of another. And maybe, just maybe, God is trying to give you something—the gift of something greater.