How would my relationship with God change if I sincerely believed in my heart of hearts that in all things He is good, kind, and loves me? Believing that is true allows me to trust Him and frees me to walk on solid footing. It is the cornerstone of my faith. I cannot trust a God I do not believe is good, I cannot follow a God I do not believe is kind, and I cannot lead my children relentlessly towards a God I do not believe loves them and loves me.
My family member is facing a potentially critical cancer diagnosis. My view of God shapes how I approach each aspect of this next piece in the marathon called life. I believe that God is powerful. I believe He could take this giant tumor from his neck tomorrow…yet if He doesn’t I still believe He is good. As recovery is difficult, we claim our God to be kind and loving in each moment.
How could God in His goodness allow Joseph to be thrown in a well and sold as a slave by his brothers? How could a God who is good allow Jacob to mourn the death of his favorite son, believing he was dead for years? In the thick, sometimes we must adjust our gaze. Despite his mourning, Jacob’s future was actually being saved from the famine that could have been the end to all of his family’s tomorrows. In His plan for their lives, God was making a way to provide for His people. So although it would have been difficult to see in the moment, the story within the story was God’s goodness.
The building blocks of their stories allow me to consciously transition my thinking to His goodness, which is greater than what I may see as my good at the time. As I surrender to Him and trust Him to write the story, in the wait, I see my God. If I am confident that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the mess of life as well as in the cool breeze of the day, I stop, look for Him, and say, “In this, I know You are good…so I trust You. Will you give me a glimpse of Your goodness?” I hear the words from Psalm 27:13, “Surely you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” And in that space, I choose to take His goodness, grasp it in both hands, and wait patiently for the Lord.
To see His goodness, I must reorient my gaze. Otherwise, His goodness may be all around me, and I might drive right past it. I may not see it in this moment, but I am confident that as I wait patiently, His goodness is what I will see. And so I will wait, not writing my own story but resting in His because I believe He is good to me. As I rest in that, our relationship becomes an actual relationship. My life is lived walking on solid footing, even though I cannot see everything He sees. I can courageously wait, resting in Him. Holding loosely what I may believe is my good, and trusting in His ultimate goodness.
This is the free life.
