I had a lightbulb moment today.

I was wondering about the question- when something bad happens did God cause it or just allow it?

I guess that while I completely believe and rest in the sovereignty of God, I do not believe He causes bad things. He did not desire or cause Eve to take a bite of the apple. But He did allow her the free will to choose the apple. Even though He knew of the consequences it would cause. Even though He knew it would hurt her and everything around her. He allowed it.

And all of that is fine in the academic- but when something bad happens in your life, there is another question-

Why did He not stop it from happening?

Today, my son walks through a more painful situation than I could have ever imagined

-why did God not protect him?

Today, I learned of a young man that was terribly hurt in a tragic car accident

-why did God not prevent it?

Today, we are struggling financially

-why did God not provide?

And then the light bulb went off.

God does not have to demean himself to reveal His truth to me, but out of His love, he sometimes does.

This is what He showed me:

He allows these things because He is able to carry me through them.

No, this revelation is not rocket science, but think about it a minute. If something terrible occurs in your life, your Heavenly Father is right there beside you ready to catch you, to carry you, to sustain you, to lead you. Yes, He allowed it to happen, but He never desired for you to go through it alone. And He knows your needs and He has designed His solution to bring you closer to Himself.

That really isn't saying He designed the pain. It doesn't mean He desired for someone to sin against me. It doesn't mean He directed the car to run into me. But it does mean if God was not SUFFICIENT enough to carry me through the ordeal, if He was not COMPLETE enough to make up for the loss, if He was not CARING and TENDER enough to assuage the broken heart then the difficulties would be just that- difficulties without any redeeming value.

But since God is SUFFICIENT enough, and COMPLETE enough, and TENDER enough then not only does He bring good out of bad, but He tenderly cares for His children to enable them to weather the storm. He will love you, He will care for you, and He will transform that situation into something that changes you, but does not destroy you.

Thank you Lord for Your sustaining, changing, redeeming power and might and that You allow nothing into my life that You are not prepared to carry me through.

"And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." (NET Bible)

"That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (The Message)

Romans 8:28. One of the most repeated verses in Scripture. I believe this verse. I believe God uses all things that occur in our lives to some good or growth or ministry or maturing. Nothing is wasted with God. Nothing.

But sometimes, something happens that screams in your face, "No way, not this one. There cannot be anything good that comes out of this!"

What do I do when I see a road stretching out in front of me that looks like waste and destruction?

Do I believe it then?

Do I truly believe God will use this, will work this, will rework this, will not let this destruction only be destructive? Do I really believe this? Really?

Yes. I REALLY do.

Why?

"To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3; NKJV)

"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (Psalms 30:5; NASB)

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten" (Joel 2:25; NKJV)

"He will deliver Israel from all the consequences of their sins." (Psalms 130:8; NET Bible)

I believe it because of WHO God is in His very nature. He is a God of Redemption. The whole of Scripture points to God redeeming his people, of Him bringing beauty out of ashes, of Him taking what was loss and making it gain. Without Him everything bad would just be bad, everything destructive would only destroy, everything failed would just be failure.

But...

"you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope." (I Thes. 4:13; NASB)

Hope. The answer. The reason. The foundation.

Not hope in myself or those around me. But hope in the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1; NIV)

So today, when I do not see a way out, when I do not understand what has happened, when I ache for things to change, I look up. I wait. I hope. I believe.

God WILL bring beauty from ashes. He will guide us down this road to His desired end.

I believe.

Is. 51:10-12

Did you not dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep?

Did you not make a path through the depths of the sea,

so those delivered from bondage could cross over?

Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;

they will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will

crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them;

grief and suffering will disappear.

“I, I am the one who consoles you. Why are you afraid of mortal

men, of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?

What Am I Growing?

After two years of drought, our yard was dead and was really more dirt than anything else.

And then the rains started coming.

So…I planted grass seed- just winter rye- so that we could have green instead of brown on the ground. And the rains kept coming. And coming. And coming. Just normal Texas weather- either drought or flood, take your pick. And the seeds germinated. And the seeds grew. And I finally had grass!

But then I noticed something. The grass seed was not the only thing that germinated. The weed seeds did the same thing. They must have been laying dormant in the ground, just waiting for the right conditions to sprout.

And this made me think. (There must be a spiritual analogy in everything.) The same conditions that made the ground fertile for the grass, also made it fertile for the weeds. How like life that is. Seeds germinate in the best conditions. ALL seeds. That is why we have to be very, VERY careful what kind of seeds are planted in our lives. Sometimes seeds of plants we never intended to grow in our lives blow in on the wind and settle in the soil of our heart and lie dormant just waiting for the right conditions.

If we are not careful and circumspect and mindful we will wind up with more “weeds” than “grass” in our lives. Not only do we have to be careful of what is growing in our lives, we also have to take the time to pull out the weeds that are growing as quickly as we see them, because the bigger they get the harder they are to pull.

And in honor of the lesson my backyard has taught me I wanted to share a poem that I did not write but that my kids learned many years to go.

HABITS

A habit is a sticky thing;

Much good or evil it can bring;

It binds a victim, holds him fast,

And keeps him in a vise-like grasp.

Bad habits grow with extra speed,

Much like a healthy, growing weed.

The roots grow deep, the stem grows stout;

How difficult to pull it out!

Good habits are a little slow;

They need a lot of care to grow;

If tended well, they grow more fair

Than any bloom a plant can bear.

Good habits help us all through life;

Bad habits bring us pain and strife;

Our habits, whether right or wrong,

Each day will grow more firm and strong.

When We Water...

Last week I was blessed by a friend.

Funny though, it didn't start out that way. It started out with me trying to minister to her. I was taking dinner to her because her family has gone through a deep personal tragedy. And while a brisket is not really going to make anything better it was the one thing that I could do.

Of course, the week got going and unexpected requirements came creeping in. And so, Thursday morning found me scurrying around trying to finish their dinner by 11:00 am so I could drop it off and then rush off to meet the next need.

And then I called her and it happened. Deep wisdom came rushing out of deep pain. When I asked her how she was doing, which felt like a rather insufficient question at the time, she calmly shared with me these things:

-we are going slower

-God is good

-God is complete.

We are going slower. In the midst of my busyness, that seemed like such wisdom. How often does busyness rob us of the clarity we need to decide what really needs to be done. In the blur, everything seems urgent. But when tragedy strikes, what is really important is suddenly amazingly clear- God and the people He has given us.

God is good. Yes, God is good. All the time. I believe that. But that statement suddenly means a great deal more when it comes from someone who has lost so much that you wouldn't really blame them for wondering if He is always good. When you stare great loss in the face and can still stand and proclaim that you know that God is good, it is a powerful statement.

God is complete. God is enough. God is all I need. While I believe this, it is from the position of usually having what I need. But when someone has lost what is so close to their heart, when that loss is so new and raw, and they still stand and proclaim, "God is complete", it takes on a whole new meaning. Yes, God is completely all I need.

So I thought I would try to minister to someone and instead I was ministered to. I think that must be one of the best things about doing anything in the Lord's service. He always gives more than I can. God's economy is way better than the world's economy. I wanted to give, but I received way more than I gave. Thank you, my friend, for standing in extremely difficult circumstances, and having faith, and being faithful, and being a witness to His love.

And he who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:25)