Goodness and Grace.

Is God good in the absence of things you would define as "good"?
Absolutely.
Does it always feel that way? Nope.

I will be honest and say that I have struggled with this one...sometimes more than I realize.
Is God good in the midst of miscarriages, struggles, loss, hardship?
This week hit me hard - we bought our first home this past March and then, Monday, our basement flooded.  I was so overwhelmed as it was happening - helpless and nothing we could do to stop it. Honestly, I felt betrayed.
I know this sounds dramatic, because it was just water, but this has been a hard year...so bear with me, I'm a bit fragile.
I felt betrayed by the house that we bought and love.  I felt betrayed by our sump pump and the water it just couldn't keep up with. But mostly, I felt betrayed by God.
"We were finally able to buy a house- why would You bring us to a house that fills with water? That ruins our belongings?" I thought.
I even said it out loud to Will.  "I just feel betrayed."
"I know." He said.
So we stopped and prayed because it's all we could do.

Today my mother in law told us that her daily Bible verse was Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters I will be with you." and it goes on to say "and when you pass through rivers, they will not sweep over you."
Tears flooded my eyes.  Of course, of course He is with me, of course He IS good.
Listen, it doesn't say IF you pass through waters, it says WHEN. And when it does happen "He will be with you." He promises to sustain us and carry us.
I have reminded myself countless times in the past year that "in this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Troubles aren't anything new, hardships shouldn't always be surprising...but, sometimes,they just are.
Why do I always get so thrown by trials? Why do I question God in the midst of hardship?
Simply put, I am human.
And to be honest, the next trial that pops up will probably be met with the same knee-jerk reaction of "WHY?!"
But when I quiet myself before the Lord, He's there. Waiting to meet me in grace.

You know how He showed up this week in the midst of chaos?  He not only gave us a neighbor who is a plumber only a few houses down from us, He gave us an HVAC and home repair man on our same street as well, all willing to help us out.  He gave me a handy, hardworking husband who has spent countless hours cleaning everything up. A sister who brought us a meal. He gave me my mother in law who sent that verse at the exact moment I needed to hear it and countless other blessings.
He is there, always. Sometimes we just need to still our anger and bitterness and ask him to quiet us with His love.
Life is hard. And trust me, I realize there are a million things worse than a basement flooding.  But God used this week to remind me that, despite the circumstances, He is good. He is present. He is there, waiting to meet us - with amazing grace and unfailing love. Every single time.

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  1. UnknownJune 18, 2015 at 4:15 PM

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  2. UnknownJune 18, 2015 at 4:18 PM

    While I know you felt initially betrayed, your ability to bounce back so quickly and see the greater picture not even a week after all of this happened is truly a sign of spiritual maturity and evidence of God's work in you. Your gratitude and perspective are so inspiring and I admire you so much, dear friend. Love you.

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