Yesterday on our morning Bible sharing, Gail was telling how painful and depressing it was to go through a bankruptcy back in the 1980s. In that experience, he lost his business, and their family lost their home. Then, he went on to make the statement: "It was the best thing that ever happened to us."That set me thinking! How often don't we look back at a terrible situation and see the good that has come out of it. How many times in our lives have we not experienced a loss, illness, death or business setback only to come out of it realizing the blessing that has come into our lives. How often have we not been stretched, pummeled and reshaped by circumstances that we never would have chosen, but that life presented to us. As we look back, we see the Hand of God at work. We know the truth of Paul's words in Romans: "Everything works together for good for those who love God" (8:28).
"Faith is hindsight brought into the present" said a preacher one time. If we can look back on an unpleasant situation and see God at work, realizing the good that has come out of it, why can't we, in faith, see that Same Hand in this moment moving in the unwelcome circumstances of life? Or do we not believe that in the future we will be able to look back on this moment and see the growth that it brought about? Do we not trust that God is able to handle this struggle just as well as He handled the last one?
Faith truly changes our perspective on reality. It sets our feet on firm soil, or perhaps on a mountaintop, from which we can see our small piece of the puzzle in the broader scheme of things. From that vantage point we are able to breathe in the fresh air of freedom since we are able to let go of our self-pity, our pain and our misery. What peace comes with that! After all, "if God is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31).
I think it's different for different people. My niece Anna, I think, needs the larger school she's in to be properly challenged and motivated. I think that's where she thrives. On the other hand, I think my nephew Thomas is perfectly placed in his small school where he is able to come out of his quieter shell in a safe environment, where he can shine and gain confidence. Both are blooming where they're planted, and they are planted in very different places.
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