The good things peculiar to the good

“I know that Christ is closer to me than I am to myself. Christ lives in me and I live by his faith. I am not alone. The love of the Father, the redemption of Jesus and the communion I have with the Spirit are not based on anything I do. It is a gift from the holy Spirit to believe in a God who is good even when things look bleak”. James Bryan Smith - The Good and Beautiful God

I am going through a book with a few friends called The Good and Beautiful God. It has been leading us through a journey to better understand who God is and in turn helping to expose some of the false narratives we have engrained in our minds. This weeks chapter has really rocked me and helped me to understand some questions I ask from time to time. It’s been hard not to ask, “Why Lord? Why us? Why little innocent Charlotte? How did we fall into the 1% chance of a heart defect? What could we have possibly done to deserve this?” This week I was reminded of John 9:2-3 when Jesus was asked why a man was born blind. Whether it was because he had sinned or his parents had sinned. According to the common narrative of that time, someone had to have done something to deserve such a condition. Jesus transforms that narrative and shows us a God who reveals himself through our brokenness. Jesus responded by saying, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that the Lords work might be revealed in him.” In the end Jesus healed the blind man and so revealed the power of God. It was used as Gods chance to manifest healing power in the man’s life. I can already see Charlotte’s testimony and blessing on others unfolding before us. Whatever happens, I know that God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

I will never understand why sometimes the sun shines on the evil and rains on the good. It’s not something worth wasting time trying to figure out. Saint Augustine says, “Rather we must seek out the good things peculiar to the good, and give the widest berth to the evils peculiar to evil men.” I choose to focus on the unconditional love and goodness our father has for us. I am reminded of this daily when I wake up in the most comfortable bed on earth, next to the man of my dreams. Realizing we are so wealthy and blessed just by owning a refrigerator filled with food and a car to drive us to our jobs. We have the most supportive community and an incredible family who would do anything for us. He always takes care of us. Why would he stop now? I will choose not to loose sight of all the blessings in my life even when the weight of this world tries so hard to pull me in the opposite direction. We have discovered and are focusing our hearts on the “things peculiar to the good” because His yolk is easy and His burden is light. Never have those words brought us so much comfort and joy than now.

- Love, Lydia.