This morning I finished reading the story of Jacob and Joseph and the beginnings of Moses' great journey and I was reminded again of the way God works in our lives -- always according to THE PLAN and always leading to something better. I keep thinking about that poor "little brother," Joseph, who found he couldn't trust anybody -- big brothers, employers (and their wives), fellow prisoners who asked for help -- anybody. Some would even ask if he could trust God! As a brash
little kid God had promised him absolute leadership of his family, but that didn't seem to be working out very well. So he went from promising beginnings to crushed dreams over and over again --meanwhile...letting every awful experience turn into a platform for God to show off His glory and grace in making adversity a tool for shaping the course of history!
I never get over his being able to say to his brothers after so many years:
little kid God had promised him absolute leadership of his family, but that didn't seem to be working out very well. So he went from promising beginnings to crushed dreams over and over again --meanwhile...letting every awful experience turn into a platform for God to show off His glory and grace in making adversity a tool for shaping the course of history!
I never get over his being able to say to his brothers after so many years:
"You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Gen. 50:20)."
That has been one of the most important principles God has been reinforcing to me over and over again. When we are His precious children, He sometimes allows injustice, mistreatment, the disappointment in people we have trusted, the deliberate intentional attacks of evil against us, the perversities of flawed governments and institutions, the onslaught of Satan against our very bodies, the usual illnesses and distresses of living in a damaged world, and the suffering that comes with our own tainted character and personality. They are allowed by a loving God who knows how He will use these things to refine us and shape us and make us tender and humble for His glory.
The aging process comes into the mix as well and we hate seeing our own gifts fade, our strength diminish and our resources falling away. And yet...and yet...we can discover this stage of life, like the eras behind us to be tremendously exciting, even though sometimes difficult and scary. Our lives are still filled with music and beauty, interesting people and amazing experiences. We have more opportunities to see the end from the beginning, the fulfillment of lifetime dreams, the pleasure of watching the generations that follow earnestly seeking to be what God wants them to be!
As part of our "prayers and thanksgiving" my husband and I went over each of the people who are dear to us. We listed and recounted all the wonderful attributes -- so varied and so amazing -- in those God whom has brought into our lives. We talked about their (and hopefully "your") passion for God, your musical and artistic and literary and medical and mechanical and practical and social and spiritual gifts, your beauty and your brains. Such a joy, such a source of pride and comfort!
Do you suppose God watches us, as he leads us through our stressful seasons and our glorious seasons and takes delight in the unfolding of those experiences to make us beautiful trophies of His grace?
Remember: "God's dreams for you are bigger than your dreams for yourself." Jo Beth Loftis
That has been one of the most important principles God has been reinforcing to me over and over again. When we are His precious children, He sometimes allows injustice, mistreatment, the disappointment in people we have trusted, the deliberate intentional attacks of evil against us, the perversities of flawed governments and institutions, the onslaught of Satan against our very bodies, the usual illnesses and distresses of living in a damaged world, and the suffering that comes with our own tainted character and personality. They are allowed by a loving God who knows how He will use these things to refine us and shape us and make us tender and humble for His glory.
The aging process comes into the mix as well and we hate seeing our own gifts fade, our strength diminish and our resources falling away. And yet...and yet...we can discover this stage of life, like the eras behind us to be tremendously exciting, even though sometimes difficult and scary. Our lives are still filled with music and beauty, interesting people and amazing experiences. We have more opportunities to see the end from the beginning, the fulfillment of lifetime dreams, the pleasure of watching the generations that follow earnestly seeking to be what God wants them to be!
As part of our "prayers and thanksgiving" my husband and I went over each of the people who are dear to us. We listed and recounted all the wonderful attributes -- so varied and so amazing -- in those God whom has brought into our lives. We talked about their (and hopefully "your") passion for God, your musical and artistic and literary and medical and mechanical and practical and social and spiritual gifts, your beauty and your brains. Such a joy, such a source of pride and comfort!
Do you suppose God watches us, as he leads us through our stressful seasons and our glorious seasons and takes delight in the unfolding of those experiences to make us beautiful trophies of His grace?
Remember: "God's dreams for you are bigger than your dreams for yourself." Jo Beth Loftis
Have a GREAT day!
--Jessie Sandberg--
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