I once visited a church service that opened with this exchange:

Pastor: God is good.

Congregation: All the time.

Pastor: All the time.

Congregation: God is good.

Easy to say. Hard sometimes to believe. When we face tough times, we may feel God is anything but good to us.

I’ve been a “good girl” for most of my life, and I’ve been righteous in Christ for many more years than not.

I read my Bible.

I pray.

I brake for squirrels.

So I may feel entitled to a good life.

Yet life has not always been good. I’ve attended funerals for an infant daughter, my parents and four siblings. I’ve been dismissed from a job—on a church staff. I’ve suffered through disorders from colds to cancer, from dizziness to dental mishaps. When life goes bad, is God still good?

If I think “good” means “freedom from pain and suffering,” I need to rethink my definition. My dictionary defines “good” as “Being positive or desirable in nature.” There’s a difference.

We love quoting Romans 8:28, “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.” But please continue reading verse 29, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

The greatest good—“being positive or desirable in nature”–we can experience is to be conformed to the image of Christ.

I have found that my struggles contribute to this transformation. For instance, when our daughter died, I identified with the psalmist who wrote Psalm 42. Like the writer, I thirsted after God yet I was “downcast”—numb, bewildered, depressed.

But the psalmist encouraged me to: “Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” I memorized the Psalm. It became a lifeline through weeks, months and really years of grief. And as I waited on God, heaven became more real to me as I pictured my daughter there.

When I lost my job, I felt highly embarrassed and devastated. My family lost its relationship with a congregation. And where would I work?

Let me tell you, losing that job was a stretching experience. But it drew me closer to God. I learned to forgive. I learned to let go. I learned to rely on God for daily strength, wisdom and direction. And I also learned that God is faithful in the ups and downs of life.

He led me to a new career in journalism. As a writer and now a speaker as well, I have met and ministered to thousands upon thousands of people. God opened doors to a ministry far wider than one congregation. And what a fascinating experience it has been.

According to Gary Thomas in A Sacred Marriage, God is more concerned with our holiness than our happiness. The challenges and struggles of marriage draw us to God if we respond with hearts and minds open to God. Thomas’s thoughts certainly apply to life in general. We‘re motivated to connect with God in our struggles.

In his book Waiting on God Wayne Stiles writes: “We want God’s plan so we can trust the plan. God hides the plan so we will trust him.” That is true. His ways are so much higher than ours, we can’t begin to fathom what he is doing.

Stiles also emphasizes that realizing the goal of Romans 8:28-29 takes a lifetime and ultimately the resurrection. Our suffering may not end this side of eternity. But it will end once we meet our Savior. There’s pain in the patience of waiting, and God uses it to mold us into the image of Christ.

They say struggles make you better or bitter, and by God’s grace, I am a better person for having survived challenging experiences. I am more humble. I am more aware of the hurts around me. I am more grateful for God’s daily gifts of grace.

Yes, I believe God is good. All the time. He is good in the sense that he is for me and not against me. He is good in that everything that happens to me can help me mature as a Christian. He is good in that he knows the final outcome, and like the song says, “when you can’t see his hand, trust his heart.”

An author and speaker from Millersburg, Pennsylvania, Shirley Brosius inspires audiences through dramatic presentations of lengthy portions of scripture (such as the book of Ruth) from memory. As a member of Friends of the Heart, three women who share God’s love through messages, skits and songs, she leads women’s retreats and events throughout the East (www.friendsoftheheart.us). Shirley and her husband Bill have two married sons and a daughter waiting in heaven. She loves to read, write and keep in touch with five young adult grandkids. She is the author of Sisterhood of Faith: 365 Life-Changing Stories about Women Who Made a Difference (available as an E-book) and coauthor of Turning Guilt Trips into Joy Rides, both daily devotional books designed to draw readers closer to God.

At times it seems your thirst for love will never be quenched. You know in your mind you are loved but, it doesn’t always match your feelings.

Sometimes you are down right lonely . . . and wish you had super powers to resolve those pangs.

The good news is you have super powers.

And what powers you don’t have  . . .  Jesus does.

Here’s the thing.

The most important thing about you is your mind. And the most important thing about your mind is what it’s fixed upon. So the object is to have your mind always fixed on the Lord. This is only possible through constantly renewed effort.

Dallas Willard

You have the super power to fix your mind

on whatever you want.

And when it’s focused on the right things you will be empowered.

I seem to have a never ending need for love. And that need for love rarely seems to get filled.

Only God can fill that void. (I know that in my head anyway.) He put that vacancy within me to give me a craving for communion with Him.

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

It’s no fun to feel lonely or unloved. I know it’s a lie when I do so . . .

I’ve been on the look out for ways

I can power up and become more aware of Jesus’ love

and how to receive it.

In the process, I discovered a fun way to allow that intellectual knowledge trickle down a little further into my heart knowledge.

I’m excited to share it with you.

Watch the video below and I’ll show you as we walk through the woods.

Then let me know what you do, or want to do, to be more aware and receptive of Jesus’ love for you.

What does it mean to have a heart that works?

To know what it means to have a heart that works,

or to be heart working,

we first need to define heart.

In biblical terms, the heart is the CENTER of all parts of human existence.

It is the core of your being.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 NASB

Biblically,

the

will, spirit, and heart,

refer essentially

to the same thing.

 Let’s look at each individually.

The will is the ability to choose.

Freedom and creativity are housed in the will, and are at the absolute core of a being.

The will gives a person the capacity to originate things and events

that would not otherwise be, or occur.

The spirit is non-physical personal power.

The spirit refers largely to the same function as the will.

The spirit is at the center of the ability to choose.

The Heart is the essence of who you are. The heart includes the will and spirit.

In ancient literature, including the bible,

as a general rule,

heart also refers to the same as the will.

The heart is the center of all parts of human existence.

All three, spirit, heart, and will, have essentially the same function.

Having heart is part of being made in the image of God.

Your spirit will work as it’s meant to work as you surrender it to God.

Your heart, spirit, and will were made to surrender to Him.  This is how you become whole.

A heart that’s working = A heart that’s surrendering.

Your inner and outer person become integrated as one. 

You become intimately acquainted with joy and peace. 

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 NASB

Chewing gum in school was once-upon-a-time-crime. Now, shooting classmates is the rage. Statistics can be manipulated to favor one’s political agenda however it’s obvious, any way we look at it, we have massive problems rushing over our land like toxic gasses spewing from the Kilauea volcano. Failed relationships, splintered families, increased teenage suicides, road rage, and media violence make our air toxic like the volcanic gases pluming on Hawaii’s big island. How did we get to this place where the culture we breathe burns with poison? Why is our culture at this brim of insanity? The debate is ongoing, but . . . It’s pretty plain to me Check it out, human trafficking, porn, media violence, and the state of our disintegrating families, all point to the mental health crisis in our country. Emma is upset because she discovers her husband is watching porn and he is no longer interested in being intimate with her. Continually agitated, Emma explodes when her seven year old son, Logan, makes a muddy mess on the floor first thing in the morning. Logan heads off to school feeling like a failure, and his day spirals downward exponentially. Individual emotional well being is at the root of a healthy culture, school, community, church, family, and marriage. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 The behavior of one person effects the behavior of another Little Henry, ate all the bananas, and broke his classmates hearts because he did not share. Likewise, our own personal daily choices affect our thought life, which directs our behavior, which impacts others. Even if these individual choices and behaviors seem to be private matters, they do have an effect on others for better or worse. I know. You recognize some areas where you need to change your priorities and behavior, but what’s really keeping you up at night is the attitude and behavior of that other person. You can’t change someone else, but must confront in love. It’s only by God’s grace you can change yourself. You wake in the middle of the night wondering how in the world can you find peace in your relationship with this other person who’s dragging you down? You need to confront this person in love. Find ways to do so here. Remember God is able to give you life without lack May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 When that person does not respond positively, remember God is able to supply everything you need. He can even supply what you need emotionally when in a difficult relationship. An accurate vision of God is an important launching point which will lead you to joy, peace, and confidence amidst relational stress. You can have this regardless of the other person’s improper choices. Dallas Willard’s book, Life Without Lack, will help you gain an accurate vision of who God is and guide you into a life of peace, regardless of your outward circumstances. How desperately our culture needs this hope and joy

Saddened preschoolers stand around Henry and wail, “That breaks my heart.”

Maybe you’re familiar with the Montessori method of teaching. Their slogan is an education that transforms lives. Montessori classrooms nurture a warm supportive community wherein children learn to work collaboratively.

In one particular Boston Montessori classroom, the children are taught this by exercising a valuable relational skill.

The skill is simply to identify and express their negative feelings with words. When they feel sad or distraught they’ve learned to express it by saying, that breaks my heart.

The skill is basic, and therefore often overlooked as we become adults.

Yet this relational skill may be one of the most important skills these children will learn. If they continue to use it, it will serve them all their lives.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 NIV

The following story illustrates the point.

Henry cuts the bananas, puts toothpicks in them, and places them on a tray just like he should. Then he carries the tray around and, through muffled words, asks his classmates if they want any.

No one notices his invitation. So he sits on the floor by the low table and begins to eat the banana.

Seeing this their teacher, Miss Valerie, questions each child. Did Henry ask you if you wanted a snack? How about you? Invariably each child said, No he didn’t and that breaks my heart. One by one the saddened children cluster around Henry, and in a rippled chorus groan, “That breaks my heart.”

As the community of children gather around him, he continues to eat the entire banana with no response to his classmates as they stand around him expressing their heartache.

Even though they named their feelings and expressed them to Henry, it apparently didn’t influence his attitude. Does that mean the children should not express their feelings?

Have you ever known someone like Henry?

Does this story remind you of the Body of Christ in any way?

How would you relate to someone like Henry if he was an adult?

How would you relate to this adult person if he, or she, was part of your family?