God is Good

God is good. This has been the quiet echo of my heart lately.

Over and over again, this beating truth --- That He is good. He is always good.

This is truth that never changes and a foundation that cannot be shaken. ALL the time, every moment, for all time, God is good. I know it with all of my heart.

Though my circumstances in this moment may not be what I would have chosen, there is larger purpose in it all that I cannot see. God has a plan and because of His great love for me, He will use the good things, the hard things, the sad things, and absolutely everything in my life for good which in turn, will be for His glory.

I love what James MacDonald once said; 

“God’s love is not a pampering love, but a perfecting love.”

He doesn't shower His children with blessing upon blessing and make life easy and effortless for us. There’s no plastic bubble of protection causing bad things to bounce off of our lives and out into the atmosphere. What kind of character would that build in His children? He loves us too much to leave us as we are, but instead will allow us to struggle in this life so that we will become stronger, more compassionate, and ultimately more aware of our great need for Him.

Each day He works in our lives like a Master Sculptor, chipping away at the hard edges of our character, gently smoothing rough places of contention, and lovingly shaping us into the perfect masterpiece He can already see.

He changes us for our good, yet in this world full of pain and suffering, evil and disaster, hunger and heartache, it can be very difficult for some to believe it.

But remember this, there was a tree in the garden…   the only forbidden tree…   the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Before the first bite of that fruit was taken, man had no knowledge of evil.

It is because of sin that we experience evil, it’s not because God isn't good. He has always been good. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

One day all things will be made new. Until then, we will groan in this fallen world, but we can always rely on one never-ending truth, 

God is good. Period.