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The Greatest Good.


It’s been a week for epiphanies.

Somewhere between the endless squabbling, crafting, baking, squabbling, yard work, schoolwork, snack times and squabbling God opened my eyes to some truths I already knew in my head but needed to know in my heart.

The first epiphany grew out of a zoom Bible study that I am doing with my sister’s in law. The topic is Biblical contentment. If you are a believer, I’m sure you’ve heard this verse many, many times:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Many times, I have taken comfort from this verse; but I understood it in a different way this week. Reading on:

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29

What is God’s ultimate good for the believer? There are a myriad of good things, but the ultimate good is that we be a better reflection of Jesus Christ (that we be conformed to the image of his Son). That is the goal of the Christian on Earth. And the exiting truth? Our all knowing, all powerful, sovereign over all things God is working everything to make us a better reflection of his Son. He is working all things – my miscarriages, Josh getting a job in Ontario, us having rats in the house, me losing my sister, Covid-19, me trying to figure out how to educate children on many devices with sloooooow internet – he is working all of those things to make me a better reflection of Jesus.

Wow!

How different these challenges/difficulties/tragedies look through that lens.
That’s not to take away from their gravity. Some of these things feel unbearable. They are deeply painful things. However, through the lens of God gently at work in me, they are not senseless.

Kay Arthur says, “In God’s economy, nothing is wasted.”
What a beautiful truth in seasons of grief and difficulty. God sees all, does all things for my good and does not waste anything.

The second epiphany came while listening to a podcast on Risen Motherhood. One of the speakers said that moms can often act like we are victims to our children and our life stage.

Ouch! While I love my kids dearly and genuinely enjoy them, I realized that I often DO behave as a victim of this stage of life. Let’s be honest, there is not a lot of fulfillment in making one meal after another, cleaning one dish after another, giving one bath, after one diaper change, after one food spill, after one fight, after one broken mug…….you get the picture…..after another.
How often do I use the exhaustion and frustration to excuse my envy, spiritual laziness and general discontent?

This goes hand in hand with epiphany number one. God is working all things – in this case, raising six kids – for my good, to make me more like Jesus. I am not a victim of my children or this stage of life. God has entrusted them to me for many reasons, one of which is to make me more like Jesus:
By turning that envy into contentment in Him.
By growing in me a joyful desire and satisfaction in his Word and in prayer.
By changing my language to one of praise. 
By opening my eyes to see the teachable moments amid the diapers and dishes.
By seeing the gift of this stage and not thinking, “It’ll be so much better when…”.

How encouraging to remember that in the daily grind God is working good. There is meaning in the chaos.

God knew that I needed a heart tuning this week (or an attitude adjustment, as my parents would say). How about you? Where are you at, friend? What is it that God is working for good in your life? I’d love to hear what good things he is doing in you in this strange season of life.

As for me, moving forward, my desire is to be soft-hearted rather than heard-headed to the good that God is working.



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