Musing #80 - God is Good

I kiss Mom good-bye and slip into my family's garage, my heart light with the prospect of enjoying another long, pleasant walk through the neighborhood. In one easy motion I slide my feet into a pair of flip-flops and start out.

Ah, yes. As I exit the garage, thrill shoots through me. I might take my walks daily, in the same areas each time, but somehow it just never grows old. The beauty of God's creation is always there.

I begin to devour the sidewalk in great strides, my mind, like always, at work, but my eyes feasting only upon the glory of my surroundings. Grass grows, green and fresh, on either side of me. Trees stand tall, their boughs bending beneath the weight of so many leaves. A single flower seems to shine as it opens its gorgeous, creamy-white petals towards me. Soft breezes touch my cheeks and play with my hair. A swallowtail flutters nearby, its dainty, delicate wings sweeping the grass blades. 

I suck in a contented breath. Thank You, Lord.

His creation is so amazing. And He is so good.

Fast forward an hour later, when my family and I are gathered in the parking lot at our local hospital. Definitly not the place any of us had dreamed we'd be that morning. But after my one-year-old sister suddenly broke into what looked like a severe alergic reaction, my mom thought the safest place for her would be only a few yards away from the emergency room. So, there we all were, wondering what was going to happen next and praying for healing. 

Thankfully, with a dose of benadryl in her, my sister's reaction did not progress, but instead slowly faded away until we felt confident enough to leave the hospital parking lot and go home. 

While we were still in the parking lot, preparing to leave, I peeked out my window, and a bumper sticker stuck to the back of a close vehicle caught my attention: "All the time . . . God is good." 

That bumper sticker was on my mind all the way home. Whose was it? Did it belong to somoene who was in the middle of major surgery or fighting a losing battle with cancer? Or did it belong to someone who worked at the hospital? Or to someone who was visiting a sick loved one? Whatever the case, I was thankful to see the owner clinging to that kind of truth. 

It's easy to say "God is good" when life is flowing by, sweet and peaceful - like the walk I took just this morning. It might be harder to say the words if suddenly our lives are turned upside-down . . . like if my baby sister's alergic reaction had progressed and resulted in a trip to the emergency room.

Yet, no matter what, God is good.

Whatever you may be facing today, friends, I pray that God is helping you to rest in His abundant love and promises. He is faithful, and He will never let you go.

In both the hard and the easy of life, God is good.

(To listen to a great song called "You are Good" by Nichole Nordeman, click HERE.)