“He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” (Job 2:10)
None of us want to take the good with the bad.
We want the rainbows and flowers, but prefer to skip the wind and the rain. We like the chocolate and the cake, but not the calories and extra pounds. And we like the blessings and grace, but rarely ask for discipline or hardship.
In Job’s case, he hadn’t done anything to deserve the pain and anguish he was going through. But he accepted it because he knew something many of us struggle with—God is sovereign, and our understanding of His ways is finite.
Sometimes we are disciplined for wrongdoing. These are times when we sin and feel the righteous response of our Heavenly Father. Often when I do something I know is wrong, it’s easy to see where God convicts me.
Sometimes we see something happen, but see no reason for it—those moments when bad things happen to good people.
But we can’t just accept the good and not the bad. We can’t expect God to rain blessings upon us and never experience a setback, a hardship, or a tragedy. We are imperfect people in an imperfect world. If not for the grace and mercy of our perfect God, we would be lost.
How to handle the good and the bad
God is sovereign, and while we can question Him, we may never truly understand Him. We need to make peace with that so we can accept the good—the triumphs, blessings, and salvation—with joyful hearts. And we need to make peace with that so we can accept the bad—the failures, repercussions, and pain—with strong faith and spirit.
We don’t ever have to love the bad things that happen in our lives. But we do need to accept them. Accepting the good with the bad means that we are placing our trust in God and accepting his sovereignty over our lives. We are not in control and we may not understand, but we can have faith in a God who loves us and has plans to prosper us and not harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).
So, hold fast to your faith when times are bad. And remember to praise the One who gives you times of good.
Have a blessed Monday!
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