God's goodness does not change. I don't know what it means that He gives and takes away, but I do know what it means to choose to praise Him regardless.
I have a friend right now whose son is in the hospital with leukemia. Does that change God's goodness? No. I have another friend who's Dad just survived brain tumor surgery.
I have survived brain tumor surgery... Does God take good care of His children? Yes. What if I had died, or if
her dad would have died, does that change God's goodness? No.
If there is one thing that I have learned through losing my dad, and throughout my life for that matter, it is that God's goodness does not change. Our circumstances change, we lose those we love, God can choose to heal and sometimes doesn't... God hates divorce and cancer and sin, and no part of Him is in it... but those things are in the world.
My dad died too young. He only got to teach 2 of his grandchildren to fish, and won't meet the rest. He won't get to go camping again, head to the Yukon to visit his buddies from his gold mining days, or road-trip it in the motor home back to the island. I won't see him tug his black leather ball hat over his forehead, scarred from a motorcycle accident he survived 20 years ago. I won't hear him whistle through the gap in his front teeth, that he wouldn't let the denturist correct when he got dentures... there it was, brand new teeth and his good ol' gap crafted right in there. I won't see his handwriting on another belated-but-carefully-picked birthday card, "To my darling daughter, Sorry it's late! Love Dad." He was a good gift-picker, but I don't think I ever received one before my birthday had come and gone. My dad loved life. In a lot of ways I want to be like him; he was very generous and had a great sense of humour and a great laugh. He was impulsive and spontaneous and loved people... loved being the life of the party. Somebody at his memorial said, "Mike would give you the shirt off his back... but don't you dare take the last beer in his fridge!" That says a lot about my dad.
I can't say that I learned a lot of biblical spirituality directly from my dad, but I can say that he taught me about appreciating life... and Life in all it's fullness is what Jesus came to give (John 10:10). Genes gave me my dad's eyes, and now I pray that I will have my Father's eyes. I remember my sister loving this song by Amy Grant when we were new Christians, and I have a new appreciation for it now... here's the chorus:
She's got her Father's eyes,
Her Father's eyes;
Eyes that find the good in things,
When good is not around;
Eyes that find the source of help,
When help just can't be found;
Eyes full of compassion,
Seeing every pain;
Knowing what you're going through
And feeling it the same.
Just like my Father's eyes,
My Father's eyes, My Father's eyes,
Just like my Father's eyes.
My prayer for you is that you will also have eyes to find the good in things, when good cannot be found. God's goodness does not change.
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