Sign of the Times
One of our church members sent me this note this week. I thought it would bless those of you that read the blog. Enjoy PB
You have probably seen the popular slogan on bumper stickers, tee-shirts and baseball caps: Life is Good. I even have a decorative wooden plaque hanging in our family room with those three words painted on it. I bought the sign a few years ago while I was experiencing a prolonged and painful season of physical injury and disability. As my entire family and I wrestled with God in the midst of these circumstances, I bought the Life is Good sign and hung it up, hoping the ever-present declaration would magically affirm that life really was good even when it felt so bad. I longed to believe the pop culture sentiment – life is good. But my daily life continued to be a frustrating physical struggle which negatively affected me physically, mentally and emotionally. Even on “good” days, there was enough pain and hardship all around – not only in the news but in the lives of friends, neighbors, and co-workers – for me to continue questioning the sentiment Life is Good. Yet there was the sign on my living room wall. The sign started to irk me. Whose idea was that sign anyway (besides mine for buying it)?
We recently moved again and I thought about not hanging the sign up in the new house. But I like the way it looks over the entertainment center so I gave it another try, even though the sentiment still didn’t sit quite right with me. And then the truth broke through. One morning, while contending in prayer for friends and loved ones struggling through challenges and discouraging circumstances, I opened my eyes and saw the sign - Life is Good. And the moment I saw it, I felt a clear response in my spirit – No! God is good. Life is hard.
Life is hard. And it seems to be getting harder pretty quickly these days. Even billionaires – like the man in Germany who recently took his own life – are losing heart. No matter their economic standing, people are in pain all around us - in “the world” and in the church, too. No one is exempt from the difficulties and challenges life can bring in any economy or political environment. And yet, we seem to judge that God is not good when life doesn’t seem good. Who told us that life must be good in order for God to be good? He is good in the midst of every circumstance, betrayal, injustice, and financial strain, just as He is good in the midst of every joy, victory, increase, and positive circumstance we experience. So now my wooden Life is Good sign reminds me daily that when I shift my thinking to the unchanging fact of God’s goodness regardless of circumstances, I am free to stay in positive relationship with God no matter what’s happening to me, in me or around me. That’s not to say that one of these days, I might not grab a marker and update that sign on my wall - or maybe go online and make a bumper sticker - to let everyone know this simple but life-changing truth: Life is Hard. God is Good! LF