I have often misinterpreted this to say something like “God makes everything good if you are a Christian. This is far from the truth. Everything isn’t good all the time. The verse clearly says that God uses all of life’s circumstances to “work together for good”. When I stood beside Marilyn’s bedside watching her struggle for the next breath, it was far from good. As I watched my sons lower Marilyn’s remains into the earth, the tears that flowed were not ones of joy and happiness. These were hard times that I will never be able to look back on as good.
What I do have is a hope that these horrible and difficult times are a part of a master plan that will fit into God’s gigantic puzzle of things that eventually become a beautiful picture of goodness. Often I find myself visualizing and remembering past vivid pictures etched in my mind and then God brings a new vision of beauty into sight. Along with the picture is a verse from 2nd Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Marilyn’s time of new creation has come. She is in a perfect state of wholeness without worry or pain. For myself, I have to unlock the chains of the past that often bind me from letting God take all of my experiences and mold them into the good He has promised in Romans 8:28. Often this is hard to do but time does have a way of healing the hurt and sadness as I move on in life.
The past few days have been both relaxing and enjoyable. Travel by train is at times very soothing and I highly recommend it. Even though we waited an extra 3 hours hoping the train might make up lost time, the overall experience was worth it. Tomorrow Lyn and I will make the return journey and hopefully without incident. Heavy rains and wind may obscure the beautiful scenery but my heart is lighter with fond memories of friends and family willing to stand with me as I move on to the new life God has in store for me.
I hope and pray that you will find the abundant life God has promised for each and every one of us.
Bryon.
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