Finding the good in the bad: even storm clouds have silver linings.

Married with three children, Margaret Fogarty Rudkin was living a very, very good life. Her husband's wealth allowed the family to live in a Tudor mansion in Connecticut, an ancient manor house in Ireland, and a new home in Florida. Then, two catastrophes struck the Rudkin family, one after another.

The first was the Great Depression, which immediately wiped out her husband's financial resources. The second was the discovery that the health of the youngest of her three sons was in danger. The youth had a severe allergy to various common foods, including commercially produced bread.

Using an abandoned greenhouse on the family estate, Mrs. Rudkin began baking bread much the way she remembered her grandmother making it. The grandmother used stone-milled flour and added honey, molasses, and other natural, healthy ingredients. Not only did her son like the results, but the baked goods seemed to improve his condition.

When Mrs. Rudkin shared her creation with neighbors, word about its quality and excellent taste began to spread. Soon she found herself baking so much bread that she had to hire people to help make and distribute it. Now Mrs. Rudkin was selling rather than giving her baked goods away.

One day her husband took some loaves to an upscale shop in New York City, where it quickly sold at twice the price of ordinary bread.

To their astonishment, the Rudkins discovered they were establishing a bakery business and quickly decided to name their company after their estate, Pepperidge Farm. Sales continued to increase--often doubling and tripling from year to year--as Pepperidge Farm continued adding new bakery products. In 1960 the Rudkins sold their business to the Campbell Soup Company for $28 million.

Crisis to Opportunity

The Bible reminds us that in spite of appearances to the contrary, burdens can become blessings and pain can be reworked into gain. This reality is founded upon God's majestic love for us. "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him," declares Nahum 1:7. Many people whose lives were caught up in all sorts of trials and traumas have experienced this glorious truth. Joseph was beaten by his brothers, left for dead, and then sold off as a slave. Confronting his brothers toward the end of his life, Joseph reassures them by saying: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20).

Such experiences reveal the wisdom of the popular proverb: "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade." Behind those words is the idea that frustrations, and even failures, can become important forces guiding us along a new and better path.

One who discovered that truth is a woman who recently wrote advice columnist Ann Landers. Signing herself as "Happy in Indiana," she wrote to say: "I was married for 11 years to a man who controlled every aspect of my life. I thought that meant he loved me. I had no idea that he had been carrying on an affair right under my nose for several years." When she discovered her husband's unfaithfulness, she told him to leave the house. "I was 30 years old with four children, no job, and no college education," she says. With the love and support of friends, along with some counseling, "I now know what life is," she wrote. "I have a great job that I thoroughly enjoy. My children are wonderful teenagers, and we have fantastic times together. Everything I have, I achieved on my own; and it's a great feeling."

Even through the painful collapse of a marriage, "Happy in Indiana" was able to find the good in the bad. Her pain is a glowing illustration of this passage from 2 Corinthians 9:8: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound."

Positive Flow

Interestingly, the universe appears to operate on the principle that a negative can almost automatically flow into a positive when we cooperate a little.

"When Alois Maxwell turned 6, his birthday wish was to receive a trumpet. His father purchased a used one at a pawnshop. The secondhand instrument had a faulty mouthpiece. That flaw forced the youngster to blow harder into the instrument in order to achieve the right sounds. He persisted and practiced faithfully. The extra effort necessary to play the trumpet forced Alois to develop his wind power. That skill and technique would make Alois Maxwell Hirt--better known as Al Hirt--a legendary trumpeter whose music left crowds and fellow trumpeters in awe.

Those who are successful in finding the good in the bad are usually natural optimists. They live their lives by the creed of Helen Keller, who wrote: "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow." Intuitively and instinctively they view a setback as an opportunity for a comeback.

Survival by Design

In 1990 Gina Ellis, 29, and her 31-year-old husband, Bill, were living well in Los Angeles. She was a hotel executive; he was an art director at an ad agency: Their first child was due in a few months. Then, in mid-December and without warning, Bill was laid off. Christmas suddenly looked bleak.

To distract herself, Gina Ellis began to sketch furniture pieces: sofas with washable slipcovers that could be changed with the seasons. Her style was simple, attractive, and practical. One day Bill glanced at the drawings. Admiring her work, he impulsively suggested that the pieces could be custom-made and sold. Using their home equity, the Ellises took out a loan and launched Quatrine Washable Furniture. Leasing a small space, they hired a craftsman to construct the first five chairs and sofas. People visiting their small shop raved about the furniture but backed off from buying because of the price.

After three months the Ellises hadn't sold a single piece. By then their baby was born and they were living off credit cards. They began to have doubts about their work when a stylishly dressed woman came into the store. After looking over their products, she selected several pieces and wrote a check for $14,000. Using that check to keep creditors at bay, the Ellises ordered a new line of more reasonably priced furniture. A few months later the new pieces began to sell.

Today, the couple has furniture outlets in Dallas, Chicago, and Denver. Their sales total more than $5 million a year. Looking back over the harrowing experience of her husband's job loss, Gina Ellis now says: "If Bill hadn't lost his job, our family would never be where we are now."

Finding the good in the bad means training your eye to spot the opportunity in the obstacle. Playwright R G. Wodehouse advised: "Always look for the silver lining and try to find the sunny side of life." Only then can we effectively reverse life's negatives.

Victor M. Parachin looks for the good in Tulsa, Oklahoma, every day.