Grasping His Goodness ~ Five Minute Friday

You all know this by now.
But I’ll say it anyway.
Sometimes, I just want to write
Without worrying if it’s right or not.
Can we call it practice?

Would you believe I’ve found a place that offers me that kind of grace?
Over at Lisa-Jo’s.

So I will join others and write unabashedly
for five minutes time.
Without editing or backtracking
On one word alone:

GRASP

and ask for your grace as you
read what my heart managed to spill in the form of keystrokes…

~~~~~~~~~~

I didn’t see it coming. It knocked me so flat I had to remind myself to breathe.

And I was angry at first for letting myself be that naïve. For not preparing my heart for the possibility I could be where I now found myself. Friends, He let me have my moment…I spiraled and wailed and shook my fists and screamed with any whisps of breath I could muster: WHY?!?

It lasted maybe an hour. It was then I saw the truth and grabbed hold…

• How we deal with pain is our choice. It can define us or refine us.
• No matter how or why, God is good all the time. This is believe.
• I didn’t see it then but I know it now, He had been preparing my heart for this moment….

I grabbed for my journal and there it was. Verses written that had jumped out at me during quiet times. Quotes from books I’m reading that wouldn’t leave me. There were lines of thanks…moments of joy I wanted to savor long. And I saw it. Friends, I saw HIM preparing my heart on every page.

He rushed in the room and pulled me close. His heart beating out of his chest as he tried to make the pain go away. With each brush of my hair and rub on my back I felt it, love pouring down on me. That’s my husband: A gift.

Our eyes met and I told him honestly: “I’m going to praise Him through this storm. I’ve already decided. Because God is good all the time and I can cling to that.”

It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.

We can’t be expected to grasp the knowledge that God is good all the time. We can’t limit it with trying to define it or put contingencies on it, either. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. HE just IS.

I have all the proof I need.

On every turn, through the rain of pain He was there. Showing me rainbows. Pulling me in tighter. (I’ll share more about it soon)

Friends, this world is full of pain and trouble. He warned us of this. We’re not going to be strong enough to face most of it. That’s where His power in our weakness comes in. But we can choose joy as we journey through it. That’s His promise to us. And if we can only grasp one thing about our Redeemer, let it be this:

God is Good. All the Time. This I believe.

STOP.

Would you like to see what others thought of the prompt?
Would you like to play along?
Join in on the Five Minute Friday Flash Mob!
Simply click on the button below!

And I just have to tell you. Each week, a number of us from this Five Minute Friday community gather together Thursday evening on Twitter to lift each other up as we wait for the prompt. I’d love it if you’d stop by and say hello. Just follow #FMFParty sometime!

How about you? Are you able to see and proclaim His goodness through the hurt of life? I’d love to hear.

Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Simply striving,

Nikki

Are we friends on Facebook? I’d love to be…