Focus On His Goodness

A friend posed a question to me recently. She gently queried, “What good thing has happened in your life since COVID-19 invaded America?”

Isn’t that a great question?

It is a question that deserves a thoughtful and heartfelt response. 

The reason that this is an important question is because as believers in Christ, we know that He works all things together for good.

Even COVID. 

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28 

Now, I am not saying that bad things have NOT happened due to the pandemic, but what I am saying is that we serve a God who is so powerful, loving and kind that He can even take the hard stuff of life and turn it into the good stuff.

Isn’t that simply amazing?!

My heart breaks for those people who have lost a loved one … who have not been able to see family members for months on end … or who have lost their jobs due to a fallen economy.

There is no doubt about it … bad has happened. And much of what has transpired in America since March has been very bad.  

Stressful. 

Complicated. 

Devastating.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” – Genesis 50:20  

No matter what evil has been fostered by this dreaded virus of the 21st Century … no matter how politicians have mishandled it … no matter how the media has falsely reported about it … we serve a God who is still lovingly in control!

We serve a God who can transform the evil of a situation into something extraordinarily good.

Again, I am not downplaying the devastation of a world in pain, but what I am saying is turn your hearts toward the good.

Count your blessings. 

Change your focus.

Take a deep breath and simply say, “Thank you.”

You see, at the core of our belief system as Christians is that evil never wins. 

We believe that because of the death of Jesus on the cross and due to His resurrection from the dead that He holds the revolutionary power of abundant life in His unshakable Kingdom.

Because of Jesus, good will always have the last word.

Because of Jesus, even the onslaught of a pandemic can be viewed through the lens of His ultimate authority.

And that’s good news.

It’s all about how you choose to process the storms of life … 

Will you choose to search for the ordinary blessings hidden in the fabric of an ordinary day?

Or will you choose to rant and rave and focus only on the “bad” rather than going on a treasure hunt for the “good”? 

I choose to look for something good in every single day of my life. 

It’s a discipline that I have cultivated since childhood, actually.

I had the tendency to be a melancholy child … every word … every disappointment … and every challenge pierced my heart with deep, woeful wounds. 

One night, as my mother was tucking me into bed after a particularly troublesome day, she thoughtfully challenged me to tell her the good things that happened during the otherwise terrible day.

She kindly yet firmly said to me, “Enough of talking about the painful things that happened to you today. I want to hear about all of the good things that you experienced.” 

My wise mother asked to hear about three blessings that I had noticed that very day. 

From that evening forward, I was expected to repeat my blessings either at the dinner table or at bedtime. 

This one simple discipline kept me from an emotional hurricane during the years of acne … Chemistry tests … rejection by boys … and hormone extremes.

I have continued this sweet discipline for over five decades and now, when I lay my head on the pillow at night, I am the one who expects myself to sincerely declare the goodness that I discovered on that calendar day.

So … let me ask you again just let my sincere friend asked of me, “What good thing has happened in your life since COVID-19 invaded America?”

Would you like to know just three of the hundreds of possible answers that I could offer?

1 - I have had more time with my husband than I have had in years.

2 - I have discovered new recipes that I never would have taken the time to cook before COVID-19.

3 - I have listened to hundreds of podcasts, church services and webinars that have built my faith.

But there have been other blessings, as well.

4 - God has provided for this ministry in supernatural ways and I am so grateful that I haven’t had to terminate anyone’s employment. That’s a miracle! If not for Covid, we would have been plodding along paying our bills with our own hard work. Instead, God has provided manna in the wilderness! What joy!

5 - We have pulled off our first ever Virtual Women’s Conference! We never would have even dreamed of doing that without the limitations that the quarantine imposed. 

6 - We have produced more hours of video, of podcasting and of social media interaction that we have in the past 5 years!  

Would you listen to just three more of my blessings?

7 – Even though my family lives far apart and some live in New York City, we are all healthy.

8 – Even though we have been unable to see our mothers, Craig’s mom and my mom remain safe.

9 – We have a new grandbaby on the way!

Now … it’s your turn!

It’s time for you to stop focusing on the bitter events of 2020 and turn your heart toward the good. 

You see, in life, there will always be good mixed with bad … hard blended with easy … and sweet brewed with bitter.

Whatever we focus on is what becomes disproportionately large in the magnifying glass of life.

I choose to allow my gaze to linger on the goodness of God!

Thanks for listening to my heart this week.  As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me.  And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!