Musing on Goodness - May 16
When I started the #musingsongoodness2021 posts, I didn’t realize how much doing it would change my perspective on this beautiful world that God created. Just me saying that the world is beautiful is a massive change in perspective. I didn't think it was good. It’s been scary, dangerous and wicked. I’d been a pessimist for most of my life - always looking ahead for the next disaster to occur. Musingsongoodness2021 has been a tool of change in my own life and it hasn't been easy countering decades of pessimism with faithful and ‘irresponsible’ optimism.
Some weeks I’ve had to rack my brain for things to be grateful for because those periods were murderous to my strength and peace and tried to murder my faith. Hardships have been intertwined within most of the good experiences I’ve shared (but I didn’t name this #musingsonhardships for a reason). It’s easy to focus on the bad stuff. It’s easy to be overtaken and washed away by them or to be sucked under and drowned by them.
The good stuff keeps our heads above the waters of life - reminds us to fight, to tread, to “just keep swimming,” and to call for help.
“...fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” - Philippians 4:8
Take for example this week. I've been trying to sell my car since last October but didn't get any serious inquiries. My prayers grew truly desperate, and finally I got a serious inquiry on the car last weekend. We negotiated and agreed on the price but then discovered that my car's license and registration papers were missing (and had been missing for a while). So I prayed again with my family and left the rest to God. I prepared an invoice for the sale and a couple days later the papers were located. Then the buyer decided that they weren't serious after all thereby shifting me back to square one. But as frustrating as that is, a strange hope glimmers in me because of the small prayers that were answered.
That’s one of the reasons I started this stream of the blog - because there will always be hardships in life, but intertwined with them are blessings.
“All of you that honour the Lord, and obey the words of his servant, the path you walk may be dark indeed, but trust in the Lord, rely on your God.” - Isaiah 50:10
Will I treat both the bad stuff and the good stuff as momentary things, or will I let them linger and overshadow my life? God allows the bad stuff to happen (but He’s not their author). And yet, He sends the good stuff to help us through the bad and to remind us that He’s there. He’s close and waiting on us to ask Him for help.
“Why did my people fail to respond, when I went to them to save them? Why did they not answer when I called? Am I too weak to save them?” - Isaiah 50:2