The other day, I was having a conversation with a woman who runs a recovery mission.  She was sharing her story and the work that they do in their ministry, as well as what motivated her to launch the ministry in the first place.

 

She paused for a moment in her explanation, as if in deep thought.  Her piercing blue eyes rose from the ground and met mine.  “If my daughter hadn’t have struggled with addiction, I wouldn’t have started this ministry, and so many women wouldn’t have been touched by the Lord.  I’m so grateful for the story that led me here.”

 

I looked in those beautiful aqua eyes and my heart melted in pride and in understanding.  She would never have chosen for her daughter to go through what she had went through, but because she did, they now share a beautiful ministry that leads women from the arms of addiction into the arms of a heavenly Father.

 

Because of death, life happened.

 

We stood and talked for some time after that, but her sweet perspective stayed on my mind the entire day.

 

“If she wouldn’t have lived in her addiction, then we wouldn’t be motivated to rescue women out of theirs.”

 

She didn’t wish her daughter into a life of pain, but she was thankful that there was purpose to her pain.  She didn’t rejoice in her daughter’s drug addiction, but she was grateful that her daughter’s drug addiction inspired a healing ministry that takes in all women who struggle with addiction.

 

Despite going through something harrowing– something that could have easily destroyed her and her trust in God or hope in good— she chose to see beauty and a future and an opportunity for growth.  Despite having her family torn apart, she chose to believe in healing and redemption and restoration.  Despite seeing bad, she believed in good.

 

God is good.  That is undeniable.  If we didn’t believe in His goodness, then we wouldn’t have a reason to believe in Him.  If He wasn’t good, why would we want Him— why would we serve Him— why would we choose Him?  God is good, all the time.

 

But one thing we often forget is that, because God is good, we will always receive good things.  Because He is good all the time, He turns all things for good, all the time.

 

 

 

“And we know that all things work together for good of those that love God […]”

 

 

 

What satan wants to use to hurt you, to take from you, or to destroy you, our good God uses it to bring us good things.  What the world tries in vain to claim for destruction, God claims victoriously in our honor.

 

When we go through difficult situations, it can be easy to feel like God has abandoned us or forsaken us.  Hardships often look like death and despair and hopelessness— that’s how satan pulls you away from the truth that good is waiting on the other side.  When something bad happens, we can choose to seek out the death, or we can choose to believe that life will come from it because we serve a good God who works everything out in our favor.

 

So no, we don’t celebrate addictions.  We don’t long for battles, and we certainly don’t pray for brokenness.  But when it does come, we can celebrate how the Lord works it out for our good.  When trials do head our way, we can rejoice in knowing that God has something good on the other side of it.  When we are broken, it just means that the Lord is going to piece everything back together in the best way possible.

 

He is good, and because of that, we will receive good things.  So, expect good.  It’s coming.