As I sit here in my office at our house, looking out the window, cars are going by slower than normal. They appear to be using an abundance of caution. That is something that is unfortunately unusual where we live. But the change in driving habits is certainly warranted and even a wise decision. That is because for the last several hours it has been snowing here. I love watching the snow fall, see the trees, and the grass covered. There is just something special about snow. However, I must admit that my attitude towards the consequences of snow have changed somewhat over the years. At the risk of sounding like my parents as I was growing up, I like snow, I just don’t like the consequences of it. As a child and even a teenager I was downright giddy when I heard the forecast was calling for some snow. I hoped it would be enough to cancel school the next day (mainly because I didn’t want to do my homework, but rather go out and play in it). However, as a parent of three boys who all go to school, I must say the thought of another snow day is not always that exciting to me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy spending time with the boys, but I know inevitably they are going to be fighting and plucking each others nerves, which means my nerves are going to get plucked as I have to say once again “for the last time, stop fighting.” I love my boys, they are sweet kids with kind hearts, but something about being around each other for more than 5 minutes seems to bring out the worst in them, and many times in me as well. Isn’t it funny how our thinking about things changes over time? Take for instance something bad happens in life. At first it seems as though it is going to crush you. Yet after a while you don’t remember it as being that bad, and in some cases you actually see it as a good thing. I can think of one such instance in my life, the passing of my grandfather. Because I grew up next to my grandparents, I had a special relationship with them. When God called my grandfather home, I remember becoming very angry at God. It took a very long time to deal with his passing. But as I sit here, in a house across a softball field from the church I am blessed to pastor, I can’t help but think that his passing was good for both of us. He was released from the earthly pain that held him in bondage for many years. But it was also a time in which God finally got what He wanted and rightfully deserved, all of me. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 are appropriate in this case, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9).
If there was anyone in the Bible who could agree with those verses it was Joseph in the Old Testament. He was his father’s favorite, he was smart, but he also experienced a lot of trouble in his life. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, accused of rape by a crazy woman, and thrown into prison. All of that before being elevated to number two in the nation of Egypt. When God arranged for Joseph to meet his brothers again, Joseph recognized them but they didn’t recognize him. It was so emotional for Joseph that he left the room in tears. After playing a pretty mean trick on his brothers, he would again get a face to face meeting. However, this time he also got to see his father for the first time in many years. After some time his father, Jacob, died. Neither Joseph nor his brothers had forgotten what they did to him, and they were scared after their father died. It’s interesting, in the beginning of the story Joseph’s brothers were happy and Joseph was sad, but by the end things had changed. Would Joseph now exact his revenge on his brothers? In a word, no. In fact we read a famous verse in Genesis 50:20, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” What changed? Did the facts of the story change? Did Joseph’s brothers say “sorry?” Again the answer is no to both questions. All that changed was how Joseph viewed the situation.
That is the challenge that we all face. We cannot change the circumstances and situations we find ourselves in from day to day, but with God’s help we can see them in a different light. We go through bad days in order to help us appreciate the good ones. We experience loss in order to appreciate our many blessings. I understand that circumstances aren’t always the most pleasant to endure, but in the end if we trust God, we will be better off because of them.
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him