| That almost sounds a little arrogant, but that's not what I am. No, just trusting in my Lord. There are plenty of places in each life, where we can say, "I wish I hadn't made that choice," or, "I wish that hadn't happened," but as we walk with Him, we see the blessings that come in our marriage, in our children, in our friends. We see the truth in Romans 8:28, All things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. You may want to disagree, based on some of your life experiences, especially where someone has tried to ruin you, take advantage of you, or caused you to make a foolish mistake. We've all had them, I don't disagree one bit, but God makes those experiences work for our good. In Genesis 45:5 Joseph explains to his brothers that their harsh treatment of him resulted in the whole family being able to survive a famine. In Genesis 50:20 he says, "you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good . . . the saving of many lives." You might think, yeah that Joseph, always able to look on the bright side of things, but no, he didn't. When he was spending a few years in jail for being falsely accused, he wasn't feeling like things were going well. When he was given a position second to Pharaoh, and provided a wife, there was still bitterness. In Genesis 41:51 he gave his first-born son a name meaning "causing to forget," because he reasoned that God had caused him to forget all of the hard times and his father's family. He had pretty much given up on all that was behind him. It was when he saw his brothers coming to buy food and they were bowing down to him that he realized that God had allowed him to have dreams that prophesied that day when Joseph was still at home and comfortable with his Dad. It was then that he realized that God knew what would happen and that it was for a greater purpose than what Joseph or anyone could have realized. That's where we are. There is a purpose in our struggle. There will be a benefit. God will work it out, to be a blessing to you and your family, and maybe even your friends. Then you can say, "No regrets!" |
