Good From Bad

 "It doesn't matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is where the pressure lies--whether it comes between you and God or whether it presses you nearer His heart."

James Hudson Taylor, 1832-1905

I enjoyed seeing this young fawn nursing the other morning. I watched for two minutes before mom decided it was time to go.

In "Look Unto Me: Devotions of Charles Spurgeon" he wrote: "Can God bring good out of the bad we suffer and endure." Lewis thought so.

Continuing, "Think of the worst thing that ever happened to you. Now, think of the next worst thing. And the next . . . Now begin to recollect positive things you've experienced: the times you've had great conversation with friends or the times you've laughed, read a great book, been given a gift, taken joy in giving a gift to another, noticed a sunset or a field of wildflowers in the spring . . . The bad experiences we endure are relatively infrequent compared to the abundance of good ones that surround us on every side."

I love seeing young fawn in tall grass!

We all have times of devastating experiences, hurt and broken hearts. We can call them up in a minute. Sometimes our life was changed because of them. They made tremendous impact in our mind.

If only we could keep the positive things foremost in our mind. Learn from what happened. Grow stronger because of it. Take the next step forward.

It's not always easy, especially when you are in the middle of that devastating experience. Yet God always brings us through. There has never been a time that God hasn't brought me out of the storm into His sunlight.

"Think back again to that list of bad things you have endured," Spurgeon said. "Have you seen any of them work out for good? Valuable lessons? . . . Everyone is bound to suffer during life's pilgrimage. Yet everyone is invited to take hope in the fact that good can come from the bad we experience. 

The one constant is God. He continues to work all through your life. Build your life on God's ability, which is endless, and keep walking forward with Him at your side. 

"Our confidence in Christ does not make us lazy, negligent, or careless, but, on the contrary, it awakens us, urges us on, and makes us active in living righteous lives and doing good. There is no self-confidence to compare with this."

Ulrich Zwingli, 1484-1531

Enjoyed watching mom nursing twins yesterday morning.

By His Grace . . .