By Sandy Jones
I’m so ready for spring! For those of us living in Southern Idaho this has been such a mild winter that it’s almost unnerving. In January we had Snowmageddon Part Deux. Here at our home we received a whopping 13” of the fluffy white stuff in two-and-a-half days! Outside of some really cold windy days, that was pretty much our winter.
We loved those few days of snow. Our two-and-a-half year old twin granddaughters came to visit. For the first time in their little lives they got to play in the snow, and build a snowman with their Daddy and their cousins! I laughed as one of the little girls came in to warm up and told her Mommy “they’re makin’ a mess!”
Isn’t that true in life though? Sometimes you have to make a mess to make something beautiful.
Romans 8:28 has been my stronghold for the past ten years.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Does this mean that all things will be good, fun, or easy? Certainly not. What it does mean is that if we stay true to following our Lord and Savior that at some point we will see that He has used our journey, our triumphs, as well as our struggles, for His good.
All too often we want to interpret Scripture to be all about us, and sometimes that is true, but my experience with this particular Scripture has been God showing up in the good times in life, as well as the bad, and how He can use anything for His good. And to quote a missionary friend of ours, “what could be more important than that?”
God loves us completely, even when we’re unlovable by man’s definition.
He forgives us when we don’t deserve it.
He carries us when the load is too heavy to carry alone.
He rejoices with us when we have cause to celebrate.
He blesses us with miracles too many to count.
Most importantly, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to be our role model, and then Jesus took the sin of the entire world – my sin – your sin – everyone’s sin to the cross that we might have eternal life with Him. We celebrate this miracle each spring at Easter, one of my favorite holidays.
I know I’m a great sinner, and I’m so not worthy of this blessing, and, yet, He offers it freely. How could I not want to love, trust and serve Him? Even when it’s messy.
In my last column I shared that my husband, Steve had been diagnosed with stage IV metastatic lung cancer. This has not been an easy season in our lives… BUT GOD!
But God has shown up every step of the way.
He showed up in late January when Steve was suddenly struck by a saddle pulmonary embolism that blocked the airways to both lungs, causing him to spend 3 days in ICU.
He showed up again a week later as Steve was readmitted to the hospital with an acute UTI, and as we were wrestling with some pretty big decisions and Steve’s own urologist happened to be the doctor called in to consult. The doctor knew immediately how to treat Steve, and what works with the way his body is designed.
It’s so easy for me to sit here today and write about all the times God has shown up, and blessed us with another mighty miracle in the dark, thick of things, but today I’m sitting here challenging myself to recognize the everyday miracles in the good times.
All the answered prayers. Not just the prayers for healing and peace. How about the prayers for provision?
Many of us take for granted the fact that we have well-stocked pantries.
And yet, when I stop and think about it – God is the only reason my pantry is well-stocked.
Or the fact that a friend worked hard and lost 40 pounds two years ago and blessed me with much of her wardrobe. The fact of the matter is that at the time we didn’t have the money for me to buy clothes, and yet God provided. The other day I got to thinking about it – and was amazed when I realized that I’m still wearing so many of those things as everyday clothes. They’re not frayed, they’re not worn out, and they’re still great clothes. It reminded me of the Israelites in the desert, when their clothes didn’t wear out. Yet it’s been so easy for me to take these articles of clothing for granted, and not recognize the miracle they’ve been.
Yes, my husband has a serious illness, but through it I’ve been blessed with a fresh new perspective. One of gratitude. One where we praise God in the storm.
With this in mind, I simply must ask, how has God blessed you today?
Until next time…
God Bless!
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