My father sometimes tells me that he is inspired by my great faith. Interesting comment, since I feel that the greatest gift my parents ever gave me was their example of faith.
I believe that one of the things that persons of faith hold in common, is that they have established certain things in their hearts. They are able to hold on to certain absolutes, and never let them be shaken out of their heart, regardless of what it looks like, sounds like or seems like. They walk by faith and not by sight.
One thing that I hold forever established in my heart is that God is good all the time. That He is working for me and not against me. Now, just because I believe Him to be good, doesn't mean I get a free pass from troubles and problems. No, the Bible tells me, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19 (NKJ). I like the "delivers him out of them all" part of this verse!
My father has shared with me on more than one occasion, that one of his favorite Bible verses is: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NKJ).
Through my past experience, I know when bad things happen, I can stay at rest, knowing in my heart that God will turn it toward good. When I look back over my life I can see time after time where God has sustained me through a tough situation and brought good out of it in the long run. I think all of us can look back at our lives and say, "You know, if this hadn't happened, then I never would have . . . ."
Last year, my wife and I found ourselves in a situation where we had to sell our home and move. At the time, it was very hard on us, and yet God has turned it to good for us, and we love the place we live now even more than our former home. That's the kind of thing He has always done for me, so I can't help but look forward to seeing what He does with the challenges that are before me now.
(I would like to invite you to share your experiences of witnessing God bringing good out of something that seemed bad at the time. Just click on comments and share your story!)
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2 comments:
While others become distressed about your trials, you show amazing, unfaltering faith, dear brother! That is what your family sees in you, time and time again.
I have seen bad things come out of bad circumstances, and I've seen good things come out of bad circumstances. The difference in outcomes seems to me to be the result of the attitude of the person experiencing the difficulties. People of faith often have an attitude of gratitude which allows them to look beyong the difficulties and see the blessings.
My faith is founded in the belief that nothing can separate me from the love of God. No matter what happens, love will conquer all. I believe God is love, and that love is spread through every human being. When I experience love from others, I know God is there.
In my darkest moment in life, I cried out and asked "Where is God?", and when I looked into the face of my friends and family, I knew that in their silence and in their tears, God was there right with me. And I knew that nothing was more important...nothing at all. For me, it's that simple and it's that amazing.
I remember how awful it was to discover I was colorblind during my application to West Point. I was completely disqualified for admission to the military academy, and I was crushed. All I ever wanted to do was to go to the academy and become an officer in the Army.
Those were my plans though. God's plan had me going in a completely different direction.
This God "intervention" allowed me to court and fall in love with my wife. It introduced me to some of the greatest friends I'll ever know. It set me on a path to open my own business. It saved me from a career that I probably wouldn't have liked as much as I thought I would. It tought me to trust God completely.
At the time I thought my life was over with. To the contrary, it was just beginning. And most importantly, my relationship with the Lord was strengthened.
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