Unshakable

Today God put it so strongly on my heart to talk with Sarah about adversity and tragedy. I feel like it is the one thing that can really trip up a believer. We start to get disillusioned by the idea that life shouldn't be difficult. And then BAM. Something goes wrong - kids get sick, someone dies, car breaks down, a daddy looses his job. Then we angry and bitter at God because we think that He dropped the ball. The fact is that we live in a fallen, sinful world where things go wrong all the time. Yet God uses all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). The fact is that Jesus suffered and so we also share in His sufferings.

So today I was holding one of those glow sticks in my hands, fiddling with it to make it glow. Suddenly it split open and all that glowy goodness sprayed into my eyes and all over my face. Immediately it began burning fiercely. I couldn't open my eye. And after 20 minutes of eye washing, the burn had eased only slighly. A lot of things go through your head when your face and eye feels like it's on fire. But even in the midst of that I was comforted by the fact that God was in complete control and that even this bizarre experience was what was best for me. Did I understand why? Nope. But because of His truth (Psalm 84:11), I rested.

So I told Sarah (as she was studying about Joseph and the coat) that she needed to be prepared for adversity. And with the difficulty that God allows into her life, she could stand firm in the truth that He uses all things for good and that He has a plan in the midst of the tough times. Shortly after that conversation, she handed me her homeschool book for me to check her work. The verse she was studying was Romans 8:28. I was in awe at God's timing of that conversation and how in corresponded with the scripture she was studying.

You know, I want my kids to grow up sure of the Amazing God who saved them from their sins. I want them to stand firm in the storm - firm in the knowing that God is in complete control and that nothing can shake them when they are rooted in Christ. Because that is exactly how God wants us to be - feet firmly planted in His truth and love, resting in peace.