Something yucky into something beautiful...

This week's memory verse:
"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." --Romans 8:28

All week we've been talking about about why things happen the way the do...or why God lets things happen the way they do. We keep trying to figure out God...we will not always see God's plans and purposes because our thoughts are not like God's thoughts. But one day, we will learn the reasons. 

All the good things and bad things go into making us the people we are. How we handle the things that happen to us are what determines our character. I recently received an email with a nice little story that helps us to understand this a little better.

A teenage girl was in the kitchen complaining to her mother about how bad her life is...boyfriend troubles, too much homework, her best friend is mad at her, she's scared about going off to college...nothing was going right. Her mother asked her if she wanted some cake to comfort her...and handed her the bottle of cooking oil. YUCK said the girl. How about a nice cup of flour asked the mom. NO WAY said the girl. How about an egg or some baking powder? OOOH! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Yelled the girl. The mother smiled at her daughter and said, all those things alone seem like yucky snacks, but when they are put together by a skilled baker, they make a delicious cake!

Our lives are a lot like that...many yucky things happen to us, as well as a lot of good things. Many times we wonder why God would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But, God is like the skilled baker...he puts all of our experiences together to make our life. When he puts the together in his order, they always work for good. We just have to trust him and know that eventually they will make something wonderful!

Start with our memory verse, Romans 8:28...but read further, on to verse 39. This reinforces this idea that we can trust God's powerful love for us. NOTHING we've been through or will go though will separate us from God's love. Our sins and our human nature try to get us in trouble and try to kill us, but the love of God and Christ saves us. This can help us deal with things from our past and assures us that our futures are secured too.

God can take all the heartache we've been through and turn it into something beautiful! Do you believe it? Can you trust Him? What could your life be like if you trusted God more and got depressed about your situation less?