Pastor's Weekly Musing

Hey everyone!I always find it funny when I tell my kids to do something, and they give me the same confused responses and questions that I gave MY parents when I was their age.Things like:    - 'Why do I have to clean my room? It's just going to get dirty again.'   - 'Do I HAVE to eat my vegetables, they're so gross.'   - 'Chores are the worst, why do you love torturing us?'Any parent has heard all of these and more, AND we've all said similar things to our parents at some point. When we're young, we just can't see WHY we're made to do certain things. At that moment, we can't see the big picture, how it all fits into the plan, why it matters at all. In the moment, it seems chaotic and meaningless. Then the day comes when you finally see: you see how cleaning your room helped you take on responsibility and bring order to your little world. You see how doing chores against your will prepared you for times at work when you had to get things done. You finally see how mom actually really cared for you when she made you eat your broccoli. It's the same with us and God everyday. In the moment, we can't see WHY ON EARTH God would allow us into a situation, or let us endure a rough season, or allow pain into our worlds. It seems random and chaotic, like God doesn't care at all. But we can be rest assured that God always has a plan, always has our good in mind, always sees the big picture.Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).We KNOW it. We know it to be true in ALL THINGS. We know it to be true in all things that God works FOR THE GOOD of those who love Him!Always!What a profound truth: it is a cosmic impossibility for God to do anything other than what is best for me. I may not see it now, but someday I will. I'll see how God has been orchestrating things in my life for my good, even the painful and difficult parts. He brings it all together for us, and creates a masterpiece.It's like a delicious banana bread. Each of the ingredients on their own are bitter and gross: baking soda, raw eggs, rotten bananas, vanilla extract, salt. Ingest one ingredient on its own, and it's pretty disgusting. But put those ingredients in the hands of a capable chef, and you got something beautiful.Trust God, even in the midst of the bitter individual ingredients of your life. He's the Master Chef that is bringing it all together to make something beautiful out of it!

Pastor Ronnie