Not every day feels like Life is good. I like this t-shirt because on the days when life feels good, I like to announce it. But I also like to wear it on days when life decidedly does not feel good. Why? I like to remind myself and I like to declare to the world around me that even, or especially, when circumstances are not good to the untrained eye, I know that my God is good and is going to work it out in the end.
Just because God is good does not mean life necessarily feels good all the time. Much of life is hard, unfair, sad, a grind, a challenge, shall I go on? So why make the statement Life is good, when it can be all those things?
Life is both hard and good, even at the same time. In our lives of instant everything, we sometimes forget the importance of character development. If everything lines up and is easy, there is little or no character growth. I know character development, Christ likeness, is a process and tough circumstances are a requirement in learning to make wise choices.
Learning to work through difficult circumstances is often a lesson in disappointment with ourselves. That is a good thing in many ways. Learning to hand those misplaced expectations, sometimes unrealistic expectations, over to our Creator allows Him to repair and restore us.These are exercises in trusting in our Maker. That yielding is always a cause for joy for me. It is when I stop working so hard and begin to let God work in me, through me and around me. Life is good when that happens!
I love the promises of Romans 8:35-39
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No matter what we face, God loves us and is in it with us! That declaration of the perfect love of God is reason enough to celebrate each new day!
Where are you on the ‘life is good’ scale today? What biblical promises can you think of to meet you today?
Abba, Thank you for choosing to make me and give me life! Thank you that nothing I go through is wasted. Thank you for being patient with me as you lovingly form me into the image of Christ in a way that only I can reflect to those I interact with. Thank you for your many promises of perfect, unfailing love and constant presence in my life. With those in mind I declare that yes, Life Is Good!
What a great and timely reminder! I spent time in the Romans passage today. Drinking it in. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you friend! There is a lot of meat in Romans 8!