For Our Good

 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30 ESV).

 

I am one of the most easily satisfied eaters. I will eat almost anything. In fact, I’ve at least tried virtually every “game” animal in North America, including possum and raccoon! I’ve eaten rattlesnake, alligator, and some bugs. I like all kind of seafood, though Akutuq, also known as Eskimo Ice Cream, is not my favorite. In case you’re unfamiliar with that recipe it calls for wild berries mixed with whale blubber. Yep, I’ve had that, too! Vegetables and fruit are all in my typical menu. In fact, about the only thing I won’t eat is tuna. I was never one of those eaters that required my Mom to say, “Just try it. It’s good for you.”

 

Often we resort to cajoling our children with the promise of good from bad when trying to get them to eat nutritious foods. In our reading today we seem to be told by the apostle that we simply need to take all those bad things that happen to us with a sense that they will be good for us. It sounds like he is saying we need to endure the bad stuff to get the good stuff. That is incorrect.

 

Here Paul keeps building on the positive results of belonging to God in Christ. He has been brutally honest about sin and why we need Jesus. Now he Paul builds further on what it means to have God as our Father. In a nutshell, it means that in all things God works for our good. It’s easy to misunderstand this statement. It does not say that all things are good. Nor does it say that all things will turn to good. In line with what he wrote earlier, Paul affirms that becoming children of God does not mean that automatically all that we do is only good. Sin and evil—and even our own selves—still get in the way.

 

But this passage wonderfully clarifies God’s involvement in our lives. In fact, God is involved in all matters in our lives. God doesn’t just observe what I do, or judge or challenge or encourage. God himself “gets his hands dirty” by getting involved in my life.

That’s partnership. And it means that what is going on in my life is never the end of the story. No matter how difficult or challenging or depressing my daily life might become, God is still doing something to work for good. That is the basis of real hope!