"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28
This is a verse that I hold very close to. Literally. It is actually on a ring I wear every day! I love having it right in front of me, a constant reminder that God is at work. He's at work in ALL things. It's easy to see when things are going well...but not so easy to see or understand when pain, heartache or suffering is involved. This verse is a great reminder to hold onto our faith that whatever we're going through, God has something planned for us as we journey through it.
We sang a song at church this weekend called Beauty From Pain. It's a beautiful song, so I thought I'd share it here. It goes along with this verse quite nicely.
As fellow believers who love God, we have access to this promise! He has our good in mind...but we have to trust in His idea of what "our good" will be. Here's an example...when I was going through my job search I interviewed for a job that I knew I would really like, the office was close to home, it was 34 hours a week and they would be flexible with issues that come up with kids/school/etc.. I nailed the interview, and everything they said made me think the job was mine. That was, until, they called me to tell me they decided to go with another candidate. Ugh. I was so sad! I thought we finally found what we were waiting for, and felt so defeated and sure that an opportunity like that wouldn't come up again for me. (Ironically, when they called the song on the radio was an oldies tune with the lyrics "Don't worry baby, everything will be all right"!) But, it really was an internal struggle to either feel sorry for myself...or to trust that if this wasn't the job for me, then God must have something even better in mind. So I focused on trusting Him, and His timing. It took quite a few weeks longer, but eventually He showed me that He did have something even better planned for me/us...a job where I'd only have to work 24 hours a week, would be paid significantly more, was still close to home, and with working fewer hours I could keep my other job at the pottery studio! This job opportunity was more than I ever thought possible...and I trusted in Him, knowing that in ALL things God is at work for my good.
