ROMANS 8:28

As I sit here in my recliner this afternoon, my soul is overjoyed at wonderful news that I just received about some very dear friends repairing relationships with their loved ones/brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am reminded of the scripture in Romans 8:28-"ALL things work together for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." 

In my own life, I can so easily recall time and time again that this scripture has absolutely become a reality in my daily life. The scripture was written to give strength/courage to the Christians in Rome, to remind them that even though the hours were dark that they were facing-there is good/blessing that will come from it as one endures with the Lord faithfully.  I have found a true blessing always follows the darkest hours of my life. Right after a time when I am feeling the most depressed, the most grieved, the most sad, the most disappointed-the blessing arrives and BAM, there are all the pieces of the puzzle fit together! As I've seen the reality of this scripture play out in my life, I will often find myself praising God in prayer and asking for His wisdom/guidance to more readily recognize (while going THROUGH the dark hours) and be looking for the blessing to come. For me, the "good" (blessing), is not usually a physical thing. It is most often a lesson God is trying to teach me through the instrumental lives/intertwining of relationships with others. It is that "aha" moment when I understand that "Wow, this is what God means about love, forgiveness, compassion, etc...whatever the character trait/fruit of the spirit is that He knows I need to implement in my own life.

Relationships are so important. Relationships (which are formed from our souls/hearts) are the fundamental difference between human kind and mere animals/creatures that God created.  As human beings, we have so many relationships with so many different types of people throughout our lifetime. Parents, spouse, children, siblings, God's family, coworkers, etc...the list goes on and on. These relationships range from mere acquaintances to the deepest oneness shared in marriage.  How well we "do" relationships (whatever type they are) determines how well we will "do" in our own relationship with God the Father.  Our earthly relationships are the proving ground/the testing ground. If we cannot love well those that we meet here on this earth day to day-how will we ever truly love the Father in Heaven? We can feel, taste, touch, hear the human beings we relate to here...but God is Spirit and is not reachable in the same tangible ways.  Instead, we are called, by faith, to love a God we cannot physically see and to know that He is EVER present. God wants a relationship with each person. He wants that relationship to be personal, real, deep, meaningful, etc...but it the response we have to God is our choice. Will I choose to love Him, even through the dark times, the difficult days?  I am so grateful that an ever perfect God loves me enough to desire relationship with me despite my own weaknesses-if I only repent and choose to put Him first through the obedient life that I live each day. Such a humbling proposition. I deserve death-yet He gives me opportunity for life eternal. I deserve to be alone-yet He gives me opportunity for an eternal relationship with Him!

I have had the blessing of sitting in an audience and hearing many fine men of God preach gospel sermons. Sunday, I heard a very timely message and yes, God, I heard you. Once again, I am listening to Your wisdom and moved to action as you use brother David Brown as your instrument in my life to bring about "good" that is promised in Rom. 8:28.  You see, brother Brown's sermon was entitled, "Your life in a sentence."  It was about summing up our life in just one simple sentence we would want to be remembered by. What is the sentence that you want permanently engraved on your tombstone? What will others truly remember you for? How each single/individual thought, choice, word will impact our ending legacy.  Pretty heavy stuff, huh? But, so true. So many times we get so caught up in our day to day existence that we truly neglect the things that are really important-the things that we really want to do for God, the relationships with others we know we need to work on, our relationship with God that we long for, etc... I suppose that I have always been a more serious "thinker". While certainly I can laugh at a good joke, be part of some laughter/fun, I am also very aware of the fact that eternity is not far away and I know I want to live it eternally with my God, the great Creator. I have often thought about why, perhaps, I am so inclined to think in such deep ways that seem to sometimes allude others.  I would say it is merely that I have had the blessing (through many dark hours in my early life)-at critical points-of experiencing the loss of people close to me. When I was 13, I lost a cousin in a car accident, he was only 1 yr. older than I was. When I was 16, I lost his sister in a car accident, she was only 3 yrs. older than me and we were very close at that point in our lives.  At 16, I saw a very dear H.S. friend of mine lose her Dad suddenly in a trucking accident.  When I was 31, my Dad lost his youngest brother (44) in a vehicle accident. When I was 33, my Dad lost his oldest brother (54) to cancer.  When I was 34, I lost my Mom in a tragic/sudden way after surgery complications. You see, I have known loss-I have known pain-I have had numerous opportunties to see for myself that "life is a vapor" just like James says in the N.T.  I have had numerous opportunities to "go into the house of mourning" as the Proverbs writer says. God has blessed me with the opportunity to search my heart time again so that I may seriously consider my own mortality.  I will NOT live forever. I am going to die. Those are the answers-but what is the question? The question is, "What will I do with my life between now and that day that I die and my vapor disappears?"  Will I live it up with little/no thought to the greater purpose for which God has so graciously placed me here on this earth?  Will I live it for His glory/honor, humbly showing gratitude through my relationship w/others and w/Him?  I choose the latter. Again, relationships are so important.  Life is not perfect, people are not perfect, but praise God that He is perfect and through Him I can have a perfect/eternal relationship that will never fully be known/understood this side of Heaven. While I await that day when I will understand it all-I pray that while I am here I will always continue to cultivate love into the relationships I have with others. This is the blessing God grants me each day-His love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His grace, breath/opportunity to "do" life better. Thank you God for relationships, help me to treasure each one in its own unique way. To appreciate each person that I am blessed in relationship with-weaknesses and all-as they journey on this path of life.  Most of all, to appreciate that the highest relationship I have is with You and that is the purpose for which I live my life each day. I want my epitaph to read, "She was loved by God and loved God/others."