Turn It Around
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. Psalm 112:7
My grandchildren love to go to the Farmer’s Market on Fridays with their Mom. I’m not sure what it is but they can’t wait to go.
This week Mom is away and they are going to the market with me. I was so proud of myself. I got them up, we had breakfast, I snuck in a few minutes of devotions and prayer, put their car seats into my car (at 8 degrees Fahrenheit), and we were on our way to market at 9:30 AM.
They were happy to be on their way. When we got close to the market I remembered I was supposed to be home to wait for a roof repair estimator. He had said he would call before he came but he would be there by noon.
The kids were so disappointed! In an effort to lessen the disappointment – really not thinking about it but trying to save myself some guilt and distraught children – I said, “Well, look on the bright side, we can go home and finish the book we started last night.”
My six year old granddaughter immediately said, “Hey, that makes me remember the video we watched yesterday. He said if you have something bad, turn it around and make it something good.”
Looking back now I may have missed an opportunity to teach a good spiritual lesson! Isn’t this what God promises us? O.K., God doesn’t say He will take the bad and turn it around and make it good but this is what He does say, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
God will take the bad things (they are part of “all things”) and He will work them together for our good if we love Him and are one who is called according to His purpose. Think of all the things that happen to us that seem so awful, or so awkward, or so discouraging. What a gift to know that God will take those things and He will use them to teach us, to grow our faith, or improve our character!
I am trying to imagine how I can revisit this conversation later today so I can teach the lesson I failed to point to the first time around. I cannot imagine how helpful it would be for a child to gain some understanding of God’s providence in our circumstances and His grace in the process of bringing us through them.
If she could understand these lessons at the ripe old age of 6 – that would definitely be an example of God taking what seemed bad to her little mind and using it as a really big faith builder – even for Mom-Mom at the ripe old age of — well, something more than 6.