Do we invest in false hope? When bad things happen do we try to just make ourselves feel better by saying "everything will be okay." I may be crazy for writing about this, but hopefully by the end it will all make sense.
Jenn and I were watching an episode of the Duggars the other night and they did a flashback to when their youngest daughter, Josie, was born. There were many complications with the birth and the last part of the flashback was Jim leaning down to his wife and saying, "Everything will be okay."
I had Jenn pause the TV and I asked her if something bad was to happen, is that what she'd want me to say. I was happy to hear that her response was no.
My biggest argument against using this expression in a time of great distress or problem is that I simply do not know if everything will turn out okay.
Now, God works all things for our good, that is what we are told in the Bible and that is what we see! However, as a human, if bad things happen to me, naturally things won't be okay!
Case in point, this past week has given me two great examples of this common misconception.
Last Friday, when we got the call that the baby had been born and the mother was having second thoughts, we were completely devastated. Of course, if you're a regular reader, you've seen that story so I will spare the details. What info want to point out here is that things weren't okay, and they're not okay now. We hurt! We cried! We were at a loss! Everything was not okay and it wasn't going to be. Did that change that God had a plan? Not at all!
Fast forward to Monday evening as Jenn and I drove through an EF-2 tornado! As we were driving down the road, would it have made either of us feel better to hear that everything would be okay? No way. In the middle of the situation, everything was not okay! We were in the middle of a tornado! I didn't know if our car would be smashed by a tree or taken up in the funnel! In the long run, everything was okay and we survived, but in the middle of the event, we couldn't see that.
That's where we differ from God. He sees the big picture! He saw the exact events of our first shot at adoption and He knew the outcome, nothing surprises Him. He knew we'd be leaving Royal Nail Salon at the moment we did and we would be driving through that tornado on East Main.
God knew the impact our experiences would have on us and on the people we come in contact with. When the worst thing you can imagine happens, God knows the end game. We know the end game from a universe perspective of we study and read His Word.
The one thing I can truly tell you with all certainty is that all the struggles in life will turn out okay in the end.
I've totally turned this post on a dime, but there's a method to my madness. The Bible describes to us the end of time in Revelation. John tells us of the things that he saw. All these events, lead to the upcoming victory of our Lord. Here's your short answer version: God wins.
It's kind of like when a buddy of mine from college would TiVo live sporting events. I do not practice such a feat, mainly because I know it will be spoiled anyway.
Basically, we've got the TiVo version of life! No matter what happens, no matter how much we feel like we are down by, we know that by the time the proverbial buzzer buzzes, we will win!
Now, this doesn't mean we go through life without putting forth effort! And, that's where this all ties together. God doesn't stand us on the sideline and tell us everything's going to work out for our good just for us to sit on the side and chill. We've still got to live life with a fervor and action-oriented attitude.
So no, everything won't always be okay. Your life will go some places that will suck and you'll be hurt and you may cry. You may even fight the battle of depression. Does that mean everything's okay? Heck no!
What does mean everything is okay is that God is beside you! He's not going to let you face more than you and Him through you can beat!
In the end, He wins no matter what the score is right now!
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