A thought by Max Lucado, from his book, Begin Again (p. 60). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
Good question.
Max says, "Have they? Have bad things really happened to you? You and God may have different definitions for the word bad. Parents and children do. Look up the word bad in a student dictionary, and you’ll read definitions such as 'pimple on nose,' 'Friday night all alone,' or 'pop quiz in geometry.' 'Dad, this is really bad!' the youngster says. Dad, having been around the block a time or two, thinks differently. Pimples pass. And it won’t be long before you’ll treasure a quiet evening at home. Inconvenience? Yes. Misfortune? Sure. But bad? Save that adjective for emergency rooms and cemeteries.
"What’s bad to a child isn’t always bad to a dad. When a five-year-old drops her ice cream cone, it is a catastrophe to her. Her father has a different perspective."
He goes on, "What you and I might rate as an absolute disaster, God may rate as a pimple-level problem that will pass. He views your life the way you view a movie after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, you feel the air sucked out of the theater. Everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot. God views your life with the same confidence. He’s not only read your story . . . he wrote it. His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear.
"God uses struggles to toughen our spiritual skin."
Later he says, "Did you know that the smith in silversmith comes from the old English word smite? Silversmiths are accomplished smiters. So is God. Once the worker is satisfied with the form of his tool, he begins to planish and pumice it. Using smaller hammers and abrasive pads, he taps, rubs, and decorates. And no one stops him. No one yanks the hammer out of his hand and says, 'Go easy on that silver. You’ve pounded enough' No, the craftsman buffets the metal until he is finished with it. Some silversmiths, I’m told, keep polishing until they can see their face in the tool. When will God stop with you? When he sees his reflection in you. "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me" (Ps. 138:8 NKJV, emphasis mine). Jesus said, "My Father is always working' (John 5:17 NLT)."
It really is important to see what is bad in our eyes may be good in His. He can be trusted. can't He?
Yes, yes!
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