Often taking a thought contrived during a morning shave and transferring it to a written word can be an excruciating exercise. Other times, words and thoughts seem to flow like soft butter on a warm piece of toast. I am not sure where my thoughts stand this morning, but I will make an attempt to share those “morning razor” moments of my brain activity. Whether this looks more like my breakfast or my treadmill time is yet to be determined.
“I prayed for patience and the Lord gave me…” (fill in the blank). For me, that blank this week is a 2005 Dodge Caravan. The problems started early in the week when the headlights malfunctioned and then the dashboard lit up like a fresh cut spruce in the month of December. “Ah, battery,” I thought; it must be near the end of its life. There were other things that also needed attention, and even though available funds were tight like they are for many folks these days, it seemed prudent to deal with the problems before they became even more expensive. For sake of brevity and because I appreciate that you have stuck with my story this far, I will shorten the story to say that it took three trips and over $800 to finally bring home our van. “Repairs can be expensive,” you might say. Yes, I know that. “Many folks have to deal with these costs,” you add. I know, but being only 6000 miles over our warranty, it really seemed unfair! Then to add ‘insult to injury’ the van broke down on us again last evening.
So where is the redemption in this story? Perhaps it can be found in the simple truth that God is sovereign and that He works things for our good to bring glory to Himself. Romans 8:28 is a frequently quoted scripture verse but it is also highly relevant. “All things…” does not mean just the pay raises and bonuses, the unexpected gifts of mercy and grace, the encouraging words, and the good bits of news; it means the disappointments, the escalating costs, the denied raise, and the unexpected bad news. It means the things that we cannot understand or sometimes even process. He seeks to bring us into conformity with Christ and to sanctify us as new creatures. These “all things…” are processes He brings us through to refine us and to prepare us for an eternal perspective.
Today I have to deal with a dichotomy of emotions, disappointment and frustration with an additional expense, but yet joy, yes, joy that my Father cares for me and seeks to work in my life for my good and for His glory. The real truth is my problems are small in perspective; many suffer far greater. Regardless of the size of the pain, He is still in control and working for our good!