In the meantime

Now that we have passed the “most risky” part of our pregnancy and are now over halfway there and without any signs of trouble, I often catch myself thinking, or even saying, that “God has been good.” Instantly, though, the thought comes to mind: Would He not be good if we had miscarried (or still do miscarry)? Would that change the fact that God is good?   Would I still be so quick to say that He has been good?”   Of course, we all agree that our circumstances don’t change the fact that God is good , and that He always will be good.  But our flesh is so much more hesitant to proclaim that He has been good when we go through pain-filled, life-changing circumstances. We tend to be so short-sighted and earthly-minded that even though we love God and have testified in the past that He is good , we usually gravitate towards declaring God to be good only when our  circumstances line up with what we would define as “good.”  And...

This world isn’t the way it was originally created to be. In the beginning, it was perfect—exactly how God designed it to be.  But then the Fall happened and Adam blessed us with the curse of sin.  We now live in a sin-cursed world, with every aspect of our lives marked by the effects of sin in some way or another. “… for we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now…”        Because of sin, life is full of groaning: Pain, sadness, tears, disappointments, sickness, death…the list of very real groaning due to sin could go on.  And when pain and sadness, suffering and tears, sickness and death make their way into our lives in big ways, it is easy to get bogged down with these things because it is what we see and feel and experience and live.  They are our life.  These groanings--these horrible consequences due to sin's curse--...

In some ways, these days are some of the most exciting days of my life: In less than two months, I will be getting married.  In other ways, these days are some of the most difficult .  God is taking me and my family through a time that I never would have imagined He would be taking us.  At times the weight seems more than I can bear.  And then God reminds me that He is here, right by my side.  He is the One Who has allowed things to happen in the first place.  He is the One wants me to glorify Him and find my joy in Him. However, I do have the option to do otherwise.   Just yesterday, I heard an old song that I believe was penned by St. Francis de Assisi.  With a beautiful and rich melody, this prayer-like song encouraged and blessed my heart.   Lord make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, ligh...