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                 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. (Romans 8:28) 

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— (I Corinthians 2:9)

 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (I Corinthians 13:12) 

In the passage from Romans, which is often quoted as a means to dismiss someone else’s struggles, we’re only told that God works things together for good. One is tempted to say, “That’s nice.” But when we get to I Corinthians, it’s as though Paul was sitting across the poker table from himself and says, “I’ll see your ‘good’ and raise you, ‘What no eye has seen…’ and, ‘For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but THEN…’” 

Of course, we can’t see what no eye has seen. It’s often hard to even see things working together for good. Both take faith. There are times when they take more faith than others. When things are going well, we might be able to believe that things will be even better then. That’s when we need to remind ourselves how great things will be. When we get in the habit of thinking that way when we’re up, it may be a little easier to trust God when things aren’t quite good. And if we can build that habit eventually, we may be able to hold on to that faith when things get tough.

There are times when I have told people, “This is the worst _________ I’m ever going to make.” I don’t know if I’m telling the truth, but potentially, what I learn from my mistakes while making it this time means that next time, I’ll do better. Next time, the Lemony Blueberry Scones may be Lemony Blueberry Scones instead of Lemon Scones with Blueberries. In the same way, next time, we may see more of the good if we work at seeing the good. We may see only a reflection as in a mirror, but we may recognize more of the image. The key is to work at it.

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