I love it when God weaves things together and spells it out for me in so many different ways. Then I have confirmation and it sticks in my brain as well as in my heart.
Last night in devotionals, Chad mentioned the goodness of God. And how even if we may not completely understand a circumstance, there is good, because of God.
He quoted Tozier--"That God is good...is necessary to moral sanity." He also referred to Romans 8:28 and how God works ALL things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. And we should seek first God's kingdom...
Yes, even in poverty, one of our translators was saying that he found God's goodness. Determined not to repeat the poverty cycle he lived as a child, he left home at 14 and went to Guatemala City. The gist of his story: He found a job. He found a place to live. He found additional education. He found Jesus. He pastored a church. He is in ministry. God is good.
After devotions I went back to my room for some quiet time. And I (again) picked up "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voscamp. The chapter I was set to read that evening: Chapter 5, "What in the world, in all this world, is grace?" In this chapter she describes how her 7-yr-old son had injured his hand in an accident with a fan in the barn. How she ran to the barn dreading the worst. How she returned home from the emergency room thankful he had only broken a finger. And how she counted this as a blessing. Meanwhile, a Mennonite family down the street was mourning the accidental death of their own son. She debated in her mind: how can the "good things" that we deem blessings, be the only grace? What about what we would call the "bad things"? Are they not also grace and goodness? Ultimately what I picked up was this: were it not for the shadows, we would not see the difference between light and dark. Were it not for the lens of God's Word, all we see would be shadows. Voscamp also says, "Above the clouds, light never stops shining." Seek first His kingdom.
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