Friday, August 10, 2007

God intended it all for good

I’m an optimist. When the heat and humidity index is rising I still say: “No Sweat!” (Thanks to AC). When Karla informs us that dinner is a little over done, I thank the Lord for “the burnt sacrifice” and enjoy (Just like mama used to make… yum!). When life hands me lemons, I make a tasty little Lemon Supreme Pie (OK I don’t know how to make a lemon supreme pie, but if I did, that’s what I would make with lemons. I am not much of a lemonade guy.) This time of the year, I always think this will be the year my woeful Lions will turn it around and be in the Super Bowl, my Tigers will start winning again, and my Wolverines will beat the hated Buckeyes. School hasn’t started, so there have been no bad progress reports. The complainers of the church must be on vacation (oh wait a minute; we don’t have complainers at Central… only those that make heart felt suggestions). In any event, my home and church on the range has seldom heard a discouraging word. “Yes, indeed, the grass is greener on this side of the fence,” I say as I sip my half-full cup of coffee while wistfully gazing at the silver lined clouds.

OK, all this optimism is making me feel woozy.

I know the skies aren’t always blue. And sometimes some very bad things happen to some very good people. In fact, I know really good people who have had really rotten things happen. Still, I love Paul’s encouraging words to the group of believers living in Rome when he said: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and “In all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31b and 37). I think that firm conviction and Christ-like optimism is why Paul could sing while chained to a wall in the slammer at midnight after having taken a beat-down from some of the Rome’s finest centurions. And why, when talking about shipwrecks and prisons stays and floggings Paul could write that he was “pressing on.” Life wasn’t always easy—but he was focused on Jesus.

You see, I have this core conviction: Followers of Christ should be the most optimistic people on the planet. That doesn’t mean that we don’t see the negative, it just means that in the midst of the negative we see Christ. If we really believe Paul’s words that God is in control, and He is working things out for His glory, then shouldn’t we be excited and expecting great things?

I think Joseph had this figured out. You remember his story… Lil’ Joey was daddy’s favorite dreamer boy. Which as you might imagine didn’t win him any popularity contests with his big brothers. Joey flaunted his fancy, Donny Osmond-like, Technicolor threads. He was spoiled and not afraid to tell his brothers of his brown-nosing ways. So his bothers tossed him in a pit, sold him in to slavery and really didn’t care if he lived or died. But to make a long story short, old Joe got out of the pit, was faithful in the midst of trying times and God honored and blessed him. When he finally saw those brothers again, far from bitter Joseph offers this great testimony: You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. (Gen 50:20a) What a great life verse! There’s a guy that determined that he was going to make the most out of his circumstances. Far from focusing on the deep, dark hole from whence he came or writing a scathing tell-all book on his hateful siblings or the horrors of his life as a slave—he chose to not wallow in the negative but rather to look at the half-full cup. “God intended it all for good.”

I want to look at my life circumstances—even when my life is in the pits-- and still conclude: God intended it all for good. Even when I don’t know the outcome, even when it’s hard to see that dark cloud’s silver lining or the light at the end of the tunnel, I want to be the type of person that will say loud and clear: God intended it all for good.

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