“It’s for your own good.”
Did your parents ever say that to you? Perhaps they wanted you to eat your vegetables, take your medicine, finish your homework, or go to bed on time. Or maybe they said it after grounding you to your room for a week.
We may be grown up now, but we still need to be reminded that certain things in life are for our own good. As adults, it is easy to understand how eating right and exercising can benefit us, but it is difficult to see the benefit of the painful things in life.
The Bible says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
It does not say that everything that happens in life is good. (We live in a fallen world, where bad things happen every day.) It says that in every situation–even the bad ones–God is working for the good of those who love Him. That refers to followers of Jesus, because Jesus is God incarnate (God in the flesh).
Romans 8 goes on to explain that God’s purpose for our lives is to make us like Jesus (Romans 8:29). He uses the challenges of life to build the character of Christ in us, and when that happens, we become “more than conquerors” through Jesus (Romans 8:37).
Dear friend, that problem in your life is not good, but if you trust Jesus, He will work through that problem for your own good. So don’t give up! God is still writing your story, and the best is yet to be.
Pastor Kent Babbey
Blenheim Baptist Church