All Things Work Together for Our Good

All Things Work Together for Our Good

I was thinking about my mother’s quilts yesterday morning as I was headed back to work. She managed to get three more quilts made before she passed away – one for each of my kiddos. My youngest daughter’s quilt wasn’t quite finished when she had to quit working on them. I finished hemming the binding after my mother was gone. Quilts were originally born out of need and frugality. No cloth was ever wasted. The string quilts amaze me the most because they use every little snippet of cloth, sown together with other snippets. On their own the pieces are too small to do a thing with. But sown together and then bound in the backing, filled with batting – they are incredibly warm and just right. Each quilt is made to fit the bed it belongs on. 

Life is a lot like a string quilt. Pieces of things here and there – pain, sorrow, betrayal, rejection, shame – seem so useless and wasted. Left in a pile they look like tiny rags and we revisit them. Turning them over in our hands we feel fresh the pain of every agony we’ve ever experienced. Stripped of our dignity, the enemy wants us to remember each event that has brought us any kind of pain. If we remain at that stage, we are destined to live in a heap, bedraggled and falling to pieces again and again.

God wants you to know that not one single thing in your life is ever wasted. He uses it all for His glory and your good – every single thing. Every bitter piece, every torn situation, every hurt, and every cry. He wastes nothing. He uses it all. Piece by piece it may look like a mess, but through God’s mercy and grace there will be a beautiful masterpiece of your life. You can rest in His promises, live in His love and move on. Even rejection is not wasted, for you cannot go where He sends you if you are not free of anything that is binding you to the past. He has something much, much, much more wonderful ahead.

Oh beloved, move on. Quit handling the messes of your past over and over. They unravel more and more. Quit trying to make human sense out of it – they are messes that are divinely meant to be given to God. And as you hand each piece to God you are lightened of your load and God is able to make it all beautiful. He cannot stitch it all together if you do not hand it to Him. Bitterness will continue to break down the very fibers of your being. But forgiveness heals the rips. God has something better in mind than what you’ve been through. His plans can never be thwarted by man’s interference or the devil’s instigation. No weapon formed against you will prosper. 

God loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth giving the pieces to Him and moving on every single time. One day you will see it all as God sees it – a perfect tapestry of His love, mercy and grace.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. NIV

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.

Lamentations 3:21-23 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Have You Had a Near Death Experience?

Danny does a lot of driving. Between the motorcycle trips and the work trips, he’s on the road a lot. A few days ago he was headed to Little Rock on I30 and had a near death experience. He had gone over a hill and was in the far left lane (of 3 lanes) when a large pickup came into traffic from the on ramp on the right. The driver proceeded to keep going until she was coming into the same lane as Danny. He had nowhere to go, so he jammed on the brakes. It sent his car careening and he went off on the shoulder and the car shuddered back into the highway. As she drove by she nonchalantly waved her hand as he was still trying to gain control of the situation.  She drove on, content with herself.

Thankfully God provided the way out and Danny was able to get the car under control and back onto the highway. He did pull off on the nearest exit and catch his breath to settle his nerves.  He was worn out and shook up - partly because he had to work so hard not to wreck but also because the driver of the truck was so uncaring.

Some of us are like the pickup driver.  We are intent on going where we want to go; we’ve decided what we want and how we’re going to get it. So we just don’t care what happens to anyone else.  We are truly an accident waiting to happen, but as long as we get our way and drive on, we don’t care.

Others of us are in Danny’s situation. We are driving along, having a good trip, enjoying the ride and viewing the blessings when out of nowhere along comes someone or something barreling toward us.  We have nowhere to go, the impact is imminent and the outcome is certain. 

If we are the pickup driver in life, we need to slow down and ask God to make us more aware of those around us. We need to ask Him to teach us to love like He loves and travel with grace in the traffic of life.  If we only look out for Number 1, we’ll cause accidents and leave people wounded and dying in the ditch.  Even if we only look ahead, wave them off and go on, there’s a payday someday.

If we're the one who's the victim of the careless driver, we have two things we can do.  We can become bitter, refuse to drive again and stay home, lick our wounds and complain about the culprit. Bitterness breeds bitterness.  Or we can call the wrecker service, God's Holy Spirit and ask Him to help us look beyond the incident.  We have to know that regardless of what the mess looks like, we too will have a payday someday.  Our rewards don't come from the hand of man, but rather from the heart of God. It's like Charles Spurgeon once said, "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages."

Oh beloved, God knows the near death experiences you’ve had. Someone has pronounced death to your marriage, your family, your job, your future, your ministry. They’ve driven into your lane and are intent on removing you from the roadway.  They’ve been careless with God’s love, God’s will and God’s Word. It’s a scene from a horror movie.

Except that the King of the Universe is your EMT.  He was on the scene before you got onto the highway. He was on the scene before the other vehicle entered the lane of your life. He’s staying on the scene with you for the rest of your days.

And if you will trust Him, He will take the hurtful wrecks of life and use them for His Glory and your good.  Never forget beloved that it’s not about you or the other person, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. Just hang tightly to the Lord and let Him make provision for you. Your life is in His hands and that means your entire life. No one can swipe you out of God’s will because He loves you and He’s for you and it’s His will to keep you going and give you a life worth living for Him.

Isaiah 46:4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

1 Peter 2:15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.

Isaiah 50:7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do His will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.

Romans 8:28 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:31 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.