As I write this post on a late January afternoon, it’s partly cloudy outside and temps are in the low 70s. Winter days here in coastal South Carolina can be unpredictable, but I’ll take this one for sure!

I know a lot of people who are carrying heavy loads in this first month of 2021. I mentioned that we’ve already been to two funerals, and have other friends who’ve lost loved ones. We know people who’ve had surgeries, hospitalizations, received a cancer diagnosis, or dealt with covid. None of us are exempt from trials.

In my Friday e-mail to blog subscribers, I included a video where I talked about part of our journey expecting an anencephalic baby. [If you’re not signed up to receive those e-mails, you can do that here.] Since we’ve been looking at God’s goodness on the blog this month, I hoped to encourage you by sharing a time in my life when God’s goodness was particularly evident.

Today I wanted to dig into this a little more. When we’re going through a difficult time, it may not be natural to immediately focus on God’s goodness. But if we can, it’s always there for us to see. It can change our perspective on the situation and give us hope going forward.

Three ways we see God’s goodness in our trials are through…

1. His grace

Like His unexplainable peace, God’s grace is always there to sustain us. It’s such a comfort to know that whatever comes, He will give us grace to meet the need.

In our case, it arrived when well-meaning strangers saw that I was pregnant and excitedly asked questions about the baby. They had no idea that she would never take a breath on her own on this earth.

We needed grace as other couples around us were choosing furniture for their nursery while we chose a gravesite. And His grace brought me through a difficult delivery and allowed us to hold our stillborn baby.

Does God’s grace mean that there weren’t hard days? Of course not. But His grace sustained us and brought us through that trial. We came to a place of knowing His goodness that we’d never have reached without it.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” ~1 Peter 5:10

2. His gifts

Can there really be gifts in a trial? Yes, so many! Among the greatest were our ob/gyn who fully supported our decision to continue the pregnancy. Our labor and delivery nurse in the hospital was unbelievably kind and caring. Family, friends, and church members prayed for and supported us.

While we may not have seen it at the time, God used this trial to knit my husband and me together. We gained a common confidence in the goodness of God. What a gift that was! It’s a lesson that has stood us in good stead over the 23 years since this happened.

God’s gifts can be people or financial provision or deliverance from a situation that only He could have orchestrated. Regardless of the form it takes, there are always gifts from God that demonstrate His unfailing goodness.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” ~James 1:17

3. His guidance

After our baby was born, I needed to go back to work. I’d given up my teaching job before we received our baby’s diagnosis since I thought I’d be staying home with a baby. God opened the door to a wonderful administrative position in a hospital system that was a blessing for the next three years. That experience would never have unfolded if not for the trial we’d been through.

In every difficulty we face, there are decisions to make. We won’t always know what to do. But as we pray and seek God through His Word, we can trust that He will guide us into what is best for us because He is good.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” ~Psalm 37:23

Have you’ve experienced God’s goodness for yourself? I hope the verses we looked at in last week’s post cement in your soul the truth that He is a good God. Whether life is smooth or today is hard, let’s look for His goodness in His grace, His gifts, and His guidance.

[If you’d like to read our full story about our daughter Angel, I wrote a blog post series on it called Our Story of God’s Goodness and Grace.]

Related posts:

• How Can We Know God Will Be Good to Us in 2021?
• 10 Things God Might Use to Change Us This Year
• What Eve Teaches Me About Doubting God

Our life is changing again this week. Our older daughter heads back to college on Friday. She’s ready and I know it will be good for her to get back to her life and schedule there. What’s hard is knowing that the next time she leaves, her younger sister will be going, too! But, as the saying goes, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

This month I’ve been sharing posts that focus on God’s goodness. His unchanging goodness is one of His character qualities that gives me such comfort and peace. Would I want to trust a God who’s only good some of the time? Of course not! But because our God is good all the time, I can trust Him in every situation.

Today I wanted to list out ten things we can know about God’s goodness based on Scripture.

1. God’s goodness doesn’t run out.

“…The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” ~Exodus 34:6

We can’t use it up or age out of it. God’s goodness is plentiful and always more than enough for us.

2. No one is exempt from God’s goodness.

“The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” ~Psalm 145:9

None of us deserve God’s goodness, but He extends it to everyone. There’s no favoritism or partiality involved. His goodness is just part of His nature.

3. Every good thing we have comes from God.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” ~James 1:17

All good gifts come from God. Whether it’s material blessings, good health, or a loving family, they’re all sent to us from His hand.

4. Trusting in God’s goodness sustains us.

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” ~Psalm 27:13

There’s plenty in our world right now to discourage us. Yet we need to have a firm belief in God’s goodness. Not that every act happening around us is good, but we as Christians fundamentally know that God is in control. Believe His promises and trust in His providence.

5. It’s good to reflect on God’s goodness in our lives.

“They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.” ~Psalm 145:7

How powerful it is to look back over all the times God’s been good – how many there are! – and reflect on them. It encourages us in our faith.

6. As we trust God in all things, we can experience God’s goodness in our lives.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” ~Psalm 34:8

This doesn’t mean life will always be easy, but if we’re willing to step out in faith and trust God, we will know His goodness is real. In fact, sometimes it’s through a trial that we’re brought face to face with how good He is.

7. Because of His goodness, God is worthy of our praise.

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.“~Psalm 100:4-5

We would be very remiss not to praise God for His abundant goodness. Let’s thank God privately and also publicly as we’re given an opportunity.

8. Because God is good, we can run to Him in our troubles.

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” ~Nahum 1:7

We don’t have to worry about God’s response when difficulty comes. Because He is good, He will be a refuge and shelter for us.

9. God has goodness stored up for His children.

“Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” ~Psalm 31:19

God has goodness waiting for us here and now as well as in heaven. When the time is right, He releases this treasure into our lives. It’s exciting to consider that He has even more special grace and favor ahead for us!

10. Because God is good, we can trust Him to lead us.

“Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” ~Psalm 143:10

We wouldn’t trust someone to lead us unless we’re confident that they have our best interest at heart. And God always does. We can follow Him without reservation.

As we go through the rest of our week, let’s spend some time meditating on the goodness of God.

Related posts:

• 4 Ways to Invest in What Really Matters for Your Future
• What Does It Really Mean to Rejoice in the Lord?
• How to Keep On Going When Your Faith Is Weak

Here we are, firmly entrenched in this new year of 2021. Last year is definitely in the rear view mirror. My hope and optimism for this new year are still fairly strong!

Last week we talked about how our definition of “good” is subjective. For us, saying, “life is good” usually means we’re happy and don’t have any troubles. And that’s a nice place to be!

But going through hard or “bad” things is a part of life. Another person says hurtful things to or about us. A loved one passes away. We lose a job or struggle to pay our bills. Maybe we or one of our children develops a health need. These are all serious issues that are difficult to deal with and we have no control over many of them. But one part of them we can control is our perspective.

As I reflected on how we can properly view the bad times in life, I was reminded of the story of Joseph. The patterns in his life remind me of ours.

He’s the favorite child of Jacob, his dad. Life is good.

His jealous brothers throw him in a pit, then sell him to traveling merchants. Life is bad.

He’s taken in as a slave in a prominent man’s house and, through hard work and God’s blessing, he’s put in charge of everything the man owns. Life is good.

The man’s wife falsely accuses Joseph and he’s thrown into prison. Life is bad.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Joseph’s life was just like ours is – full of seasons that change, full of “bad” times and “good” ones.

But what’s convicting to me is that Joseph didn’t change. As far as we can tell, no matter whether his circumstances appeared good or bad, he continued to trust God.

So what kept him going through the hard seasons? Here are three things that gave him a proper perspective of good and bad events in his life.

Patience.

Remember when Joseph interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker? After telling the butler that he’d be restored to his former position, Joseph asked him to tell his story to Pharaoh.

Once the butler, as predicted, left prison, I wonder how long it took for Joseph’s hope to fade. Did he spend that first week listening for the outer door to open? Every time the keeper of the prison called his name, did he think there was a messenger sent to get him out? After a month of nothing changing, was he discouraged?

We don’t know what was happening in his mind, but we do know exactly how long Joseph had to wait.

“And it came to pass at the end of two full years…” ~Genesis 41:1

Joseph waited on God for two years to get out of prison. But did Joseph learn lessons during those two years that he wouldn’t have learned if he’d been pulled out of prison and returned to his family? We can’t know for sure. Yet I believe that God puts us in specific places for a particular time period to teach us lessons like trusting Him. (Know that this is easy to write but much harder to remember when we’re actually in one of these times!)

Faithfulness to his duties.

Whether in Potiphar’s house or in prison, Joseph didn’t give in and sit around having a pity party. I have to believe that he had hard days when the difficulty or unjustness of his situation overwhelmed him.

But everywhere he went, we see Joseph working hard and prospering.

“And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” ~Genesis 39:3-4

“But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.” ~Genesis 39:21-11

When it seems like we’re in the midst of a bad time, let’s keep being faithful. Let’s continue doing our best in service to the Lord.

Serving others.

So when the baker and the butler ended up in the prison where Joseph was, he helped them. I might have been tempted to say, “Listen, I realize this is bad for you, but let me tell you all I’ve been through.”

Instead, he noticed they were sad, and reached out to them. “And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly today?” ~Genesis 40:7

I think we all know that we can gain a better perspective on our own problems when we look for someone else in need and try to help them. It’s like the old acronym for JOY – Jesus, Others, You.

You and I don’t stress when we see Joseph thrown into a pit by his brothers. We’re not overly concerned when the merchants drag him off to Egypt. We don’t wonder what’s going to happen because we know how it all turns out just a few pages later. We know that Joseph will say to his brothers 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.“

But Joseph didn’t have any of that information in real-time. And right now, you and I don’t know the end of our story. But God does. Even the parts we see as bad, He’s in control of those, too.

So we have a choice. Our perspective can make all the difference. Let’s be patient, be faithful, and serve those around us. And as we trust Him, let’s believe that when our last chapter is finished, God will have written the just-right ending to our story.

Related posts:

• 7 Ways God is Here for You Today
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Christmas is almost here. The tree in the living area is starting to drop a few needles. Most of the presents are already wrapped, which is actually early for me! And while I hope we’ve been thinking about the reason for the season all month long, now is the time to fully turn our thoughts to the true meaning of Christmas.

Maybe the outward trappings of Christmas have grabbed our attention. The carols and shopping and decorations and presents and holiday treats are a fun part of the season. But let’s take time over the next couple of days to meditate on what Jesus’ birth means to us.

In other words, how can we celebrate Christmas in our hearts? How do we move from the noise around us to quiet reflections inside us? Here are five truths we can focus on.

A redeemer has come.

The one promised way back in Genesis finally made His appearance.

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. ~Galatians 4:4-5

At the right time, in the right place, and to the right woman, our Redeemer was born. Jesus bought us back. We were His by creation, then separated from Him by sin. He paid the penalty for our sin, and made us His once more.

A Savior is born.

We couldn’t save ourselves.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ~Matthew 1:21

We couldn’t work our way or pay our way out of the punishment we deserved for our sin. But Jesus, the perfect God-man, came to earth with the mission of saving us from eternal destruction.

He became like us.

Jesus left the glory of Heaven to become a man.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… ~John 1:14

God took on a body of flesh. Jesus lived within the confines of a human that He might fulfill the Father’s plan to restore mankind to fellowship with Him.

Jesus is God’s expression of His love for us.

We need never ask how much God loves us.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ~1 John 4:9-10

What greater gift could we receive than that which God provided by sending His only Son to die for our sins? We didn’t initiate the relationship; God did, because of His great love.

Jesus, babe in the manger, will one day reign as king.

He will be a just and righteous leader.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder…Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore… ~Isaiah 9:6-7

Not only do we have the blessings of today, but we have a bright future ahead! One day, Christ will reign over all the earth. The baby we remember at Christmas will be the one we worship as Lord and King.

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, may we thank God for the precious gift of His Son. We are all unworthy of the gift. Yet if we accept that Son as our Savior, we are redeemed and assured of an eternal home with Him.

Whatever your celebrating looks like in this year of Covid, I want to wish you and those you love a very Merry Christmas! May you feel the peace and joy that only God can give (and that a virus can’t take away!) Then, just as you pass out other gifts, take that joy and peace and share it with others.

Merry Christmas!!

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Happy week before Christmas!!

December continues to fly by here. Our college daughter took her last final exam online this week. Today is the last day of school for our high school senior before her two-week holiday break.

In these days leading up to Christmas, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to wait. As we move through Advent, I remember Mary, mother of Jesus. How she must have waited eagerly for the birth of her promised son! Israel as a nation had been waiting hundreds of years for their Messiah to come. Individuals like Simeon and Anna in Luke 2 were waiting for the fulfillment of a promise God had made long ago.

If you’re like me, your 2020 has had some waiting seasons in it. Even now we wait to see what will happen with the COVID vaccine. We wonder how long it will be before we can ditch the masks, travel freely, and return to “life before COVID.”

Recently I’ve found myself in a particular situation of my own that I’d like to see resolved. But it’s going to require some waiting. As I continued my recent Bible study in Psalms, I came to this verse which reminded me to make God the focus of all my waiting.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” ~Psalm 62:5

Waiting on God is worth it. Waiting on another person to deliver me or on some plan I’ve concocted to fix everything isn’t. It doesn’t take long for me to exhaust my own resources. My plans get derailed and none of my efforts to resolve things work out. Other people may try to help, but God is the only one who can truly provide what I need.

And doesn’t our faith grow stronger as we wait? If everything happened on our schedule, how would we learn to trust? Yet when we see God’s faithfulness time and time again on our behalf, we get a little bit bolder at claiming His promises while we patiently wait.

I’m looking forward to 2021, to starting a new year. But flipping a calendar won’t fix my problems. No, my hope is found in God. I can expect all that God has in store for me next year to be good for me because He is good.

If you’re waiting for something today – a relationship to be repaired, a situation to be resolved, wisdom and guidance for a big decision – turn your focus on God. Expect Him to answer your prayer, to deliver on His promises just as He did for Mary, for Israel, for Simeon, and for Anna.

Related posts:

• 7 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Christmas
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Who likes to wait? No one I know.

It’s something we have to do nearly every day. Wait in line at the store, sit in traffic, wait for a package to arrive, wait to get the results of a test, wait for a table at a restaurant, or wait on hold on the phone (that may be the worst!)

When we have to wait it means staying right where we are. We can’t get on to the next thing. All action is stalled and it can seem like a big waste of time.

And sometimes in our lives we hit a season of waiting. We’re in an in-between period or we can’t move ahead for some reason. Maybe we’re anticipating or expecting something to happen, but we don’t know when – or maybe if – it will.

Do you remember specific seasons of waiting in your life? My most memorable waiting season was when we were trying to have children. It took nearly two years to get pregnant with our first daughter, Angel, who was stillborn, then another two years for our now 19-year-old daughter.

I’m reminded of several well-known Bible characters who endured a season of waiting. Abraham and Sarah waited many years for Isaac to be born, faithfully believing God’s promise even as they grew old. What about the two years Joseph spent in prison waiting and hoping that the butler would mention him to Pharaoh? Or David who was anointed king of Israel by the prophet Samuel years before he actually gained the throne?

God has much to teach us in our waiting seasons. As we learn those lessons, here are a few things we can remember.

1. We are strengthened as we wait on the Lord.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

The promised strength and the mounting up with wings and the running come after the waiting. We like to focus on that last part, but the waiting comes first. With God, time spent waiting is not wasted, but is preparing us for what’s ahead.

2. Learning to wait can be part of God’s good plan for us.

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. ~Lamentations 3:25-26

Don’t we seek Him more in the waiting seasons? When we feel like we’re in a good place in life and we know where we’re headed, we can tend to rely on ourselves for what we need. If God’s allowed us to enter a season of waiting, we can know it’s part of His plan and seek to learn the lessons He has for us there.

3. We wait for the Lord because we need His help and guidance.

Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. ~Psalm 33:20

Have you ever plunged ahead and done what you thought was right instead of waiting for that peace in your soul before you moved forward? That’s one way to learn about waiting since the results usually aren’t good! We can only accomplish His purposes as we rest in His timing and recognize that we need His help.

4. While we wait, we can find hope in His Word.

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. ~Psalm 130:5

This happened to me while I was putting this post together!! Reading Bible verses that talk about waiting on the Lord helped me to see the value in those seasons. We know that going to God’s Word will bring encouragement and wisdom. Let’s memorize and meditate on Scripture that points our hearts and minds to His promises.

5. Waiting on God will ultimately bring Him glory.

I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. ~Psalm 52:9

How exciting it is when we can look back over our lives and see how waiting on God paid off. Often we can see how God moved at just the right time and in a way that can’t be explained except for Him. We see these things more clearly once we’ve come through a waiting season, but it can still be hard to remember them when the next waiting season comes along!

Here’s one final bit of encouragement, should you be in the midst of a waiting season today.

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. ~Psalm 40:1-3

The new song?? That comes after the waiting, after the horrible pit and the miry clay. Nobody wants to sign up for those, but God knows how it ends. We all want the new song, but it only comes after the waiting. So as we wait for our new song, may God give us the grace and peace we need to wait on Him!

Related posts:

• When You’re in the Pit, Look Forward to Your New Song
• God Will Prepare the Way
• Trusting His Grace When I Can’t See His Face