Lately I've been wrestling with my thoughts about God (what else is new). And it occurs to me that God made this intricate and gorgeous flower, and He also made...dirt and mosquitoes and fungus. It all seems so hard to believe.
I'm reading two books. Death by Suburb, by David Goetz, and One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. The second book is written in poetic language, which better suits the ineffable quality of our God, who creates flowers like the one above.
In both books, Chapter 5 is about suffering. Goetz suggests that instead of always trying to throw off our cross, we might "see all things as coming from the hand of God, even, or especially, the cross itself." Voskamp goes even further, explaining that darkness--the hard stuff that makes me angry and anxious--actually births new life and even joy. It's a matter of perspective. Do I really trust God? Then it's OK to let things go.
Isabel didn't get into the Family program I was hoping for. (It's an exclusive program where one group of kids stays together from 2nd - 5th grade, go on their own special field trips, and have excellent teachers.) The teacher Isabel DID get was new to second grade and in her final year of decades of teaching. It didn't seem to be a choice placement.
I struggled with it for a while, feeling like Isabel had been cheated. But these authors, especially Voskamp, have changed my thinking. It's a matter of perspective. If God allowed Isabel to be placed in this class, then good will come out of it--even if I don't see it. Trust.
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