All things work for good to those who love the Lord and live according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
This is my favorite bible verse. It has helped me many times to find the good in not so good situations.
Of course, I tend to listen or read only the first part, “All things work for good,” and slide over the rest. That is just not how it works! The most important part of the verse, and also the hardest part for me, is “live according to His purpose.” I do not always see the purpose that God has for me. It never seems to be laid out in black and white, with illustrations to help me find the way. Father Tom’s sermons have a way of letting me know when I am off track and need to listen more closely. It is then that I realize what I really need is a better communication with God. One in which I am still, quiet, and really listening to what He wants for me, and not interrupting with what I want. Then, I hear what God intends. In those sweet moments, I can hear, playing like a song, “All good things work for good to those who love the Lord and live according to His purpose.”
God lives in a strawberry patch
When my children were young, I was a Navy wife and a stay at home mom. Each spring I looked forward to picking strawberries. With the sun shining down and the wonderful smell of strawberries in the air, I would go down the rows picking berries, feeling very close to God. That was when I could have some really great conversations with God, right there in the middle of the strawberry field. At the time, it seemed the perfect place to meet Him for a quiet chat, because He was always there. All the distractions of home and family faded for that hour and it was just Him and me. Prayer does not always have to be formal words out of a book or something memorized. There are times when all you need is a quiet spot, like a warm, sunny strawberry patch for a talk with God, one friend to another.
Jeanne Pool-Coppage
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