Half-Full or Half-Empty?
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 ESV
On a recent date night, my husband and I ate at the restaurant where our first date took place. My hubby and I have been married for twenty-four years but we have been together as a couple for twenty-seven years. As we sat there waiting on our food to arrive, our minds drifted back twenty-seven years ago to that magical night of our very first date.
We started talking about how nervous we were, where we sat at, what food we ordered and so on. Then my sweetie reached for my hand and said, “That night, what would we have done if the waiter would have walked up to us and said, “Three years from now, you will get married. During your marriage, you will walk through dark seasons. You will suffer life-threatening injuries from a near fatal head-on collision, and one of you will lose a parent to cancer. You will have four children in all, but you will lose one child to a miscarriage and bury another child. You will have tribulation and hardships and then one of you will be told you have cancer.”
Wow! We sat there and pondered over the last twenty-seven years and wondered - What would we have done this whole time? How would we have looked at our future? Would we have even gotten married, or would we have run in opposite directions? We probably would have worried ourselves sick wondering when any of those things would have happened. I guess that is probably the reason God doesn’t lay out the blueprint from the very beginning, right?
Our key verse says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 Sweet friend, rest assured that no matter what you walk through, God is always working it for your good.
As we sat there, we started thinking about what all God has brought us through and how He has blessed us. Then my sweetie said, “But… what if the waiter would have walked up and said, “In three years from now, you will get married. During your marriage, you will have two beautiful children. You will walk through hurt, hardships, and gut-wrenching loss. But even through the darkest valleys, you will lean on each other and will grow closer to each other and grow closer to God. You will grow stronger not because of yourselves but because of God’s strength manifested through you. Your love will grow deeper and stronger for each other than the day you wed. And you will know that even through the hard times, you never walked them alone – God was with you the whole time.”
Even bigger WOW! As we looked into each other’s eyes we realized something important. It’s all how we look at a situation – perspective is key! It’s like the famous question - Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
Friend, trials, tribulations, and hardships will come and go in this life. Marriage is hard. Period. Life throws us a curveball here and there and sometimes we strikeout. But no matter what is thrown our way, God is always working it all for our good.
The key is to recognize it. Rarely will we be able to see the good during the storm. But we can look back and see God’s goodness before, during, and after the storm. It really and truly is all about perspective.
God,
Thank you for your grace, love, and mercy over my marriage and over our lives. I know a lot of times I want the blueprints to how a situation will unfold in my life but thank you for not giving me the details ahead of time. You see a greater picture than I do and I’m thankful that you take care of us and work everything out for our good. Help me to see things in the right perspective and to trust you fully with every detail of my life. You are a good, good Father. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.” Proverbs 27:1 NLT
“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 NLT
Reflection:
Do you find yourself questioning “What if” and wonder why things happen the way they do?
Do you tend to see the glass half-full or half-empty?
What can you do today to change your perspective for the good about a situation you are walking through?