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Small Things

 

 


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Small Things

 It occurred to me this morning there is more than meets the eye or reaches the ear to be said about the saying, "God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good." I've heard this my entire life, and quite frankly, at times, even though my heart accepts this, my mind wrestles with it. I'm caught between treating God as a Genie in a bottle because I know He can do everything, so why not rub the lamp with a few chanting words and "Poof," watch it all fall into place. I don't recommend this. It's not biblical, for starters, and therefore, it will not be highly successful. 

There are times when I've taken the Genie in the Bottle approach, hoping for immediate miracles. Then there are times when I've adopted the Tortoise and the Hare approach, believing that God will come through if I am steady in my faith long enough. While the former is clearly not the way to go, I find myself struggling with the practice of persistence. The Hare's approach offers the allure of less waiting, but the Tortoise's strategy yields results. Yet, I don't find the Tortoise's strategy a place of comfort. 

Deep down, I know that God has my best interest at heart, and I believe He will accomplish His will. Yet, I find it hard to wait, and I think I understand why. I often find myself focusing on the weighty matters that need attention, and in doing so, I overlook His goodness in the more minor things. I miss the moments when He quietly takes care of my troubles, and my attention is consumed by the more significant life disturbances. In this process, I miss opportunities to strengthen my faith.

 If I could only learn to see the lesser as a part of the more significant and stop failing to recognize the ways God shows His goodness short of those situations like parting the Red Sea or raising the dead. Plenty of lesser happenings demonstrate that He is so good all the time. Things like a hug from a child who has never before allowed his personal space to be entered or holding the hand of a little one who senses how unaccepted he is yet feels love and belonging just by taking your hand, or maybe God's goodness is seen in walking into a clean kitchen early in the morning when you know good, and well you left it for ruin because your weary body could not do it after the day you had. Possibly, His goodness pops up in that conversation over the fence. Maybe it happens on the porch of an elderly neighbor filled with years of God-given wisdom that offers you the insight needed to deal with an issue you are struggling with. And the goodness of God's part is that they don't even know what they've done to lessen your burden.

 It's in these moments, when the goodness of God is right before our very eyes, that our faith is strengthened. These instances serve as reminders of His awesomeness and fill us with references and faith experiences to endure the more significant battles we face. Let us be sensitive to the Spirit, welcoming the blessings of short answers or the granting of small things. By doing so, we equip ourselves with the proof that He can part the Red Sea for us, too, if that's what it takes in His time. 

photo credit: Juan Pablo Rodriguez on unsplash

 
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SPEAK SOON, FRIEND!

Praise Him in All Things

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