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Makes Me Go "Hmmmm."


 When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

            When things are going well, be happy?  If you're like me, when things are going well, you might be tempted to think, "Uh oh." That might be part of what's going on in my head at the moment.  On my walk yesterday morning, I found myself thinking, "God, I think I'm going the way You want me to. I want to be going the way You want me to, but I'm afraid I'm not going the way You want me to." What's the problem? Nothing at all. Things are just going along, not too fast, not dramatic, just there. When there's nothing to be upset about, when there's nothing demanding my focus, I don't "be happy" - I be anxious because there's nothing there.
            When times are bad... the obvious parallel is "be sad," but that's not what God says. He says "When times are bad..." think.  I like that. I like to think and right now, times are bad enough around me that there is plenty to think about. What are we to consider? God makes both good times and bad times. God, who loves us. God, who created us for His glory and enjoyment. That being the case, what are we to think about bad times? If He made the bad times to destroy us, then how will we continue to bring Him glory or enjoyment? If He has made both, then both are under His control. They will only last as long as He chooses for them to, so now is not a means by which we can discover anything about later. That narrowed vision that I tend to get when things are bad, the one that says that now is unending, is wrong.
           Wait a second, doesn't knowing that bad times will end make us happy, even in the bad times?  Sort of makes me go "Hmmm." (my thinking noise.)

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