Together

Have you ever seen a Rube Goldberg machine? I love those! A ball drops and a lever tips; the lever raises a string that spins a wheel that releases an arrow that strikes a model car that rolls toward a chain of dominoes that... You get the idea. Odds and ends, bits and scraps strung together to make something happen: open a door, water a plant. Some integrate chemical reactions, a flash-bang that launches another action. Some are comprised of trash -- items that would appear of no use in and of themselves: cards from an incomplete deck, a bread bag clip, a single shoelace, a deflated ball, a broken umbrella. Worthless, right? But together, they do something mmmaybe useful, but if not, certainly ingenious and amazing.

Think of the events you have experienced in your life. No one has a perfect life. Everyone goes through trials and pain. Sometimes we think we've had our share, and we just want a break. But that is the promise of Romans 8:28. I'm sure you're familiar:

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

All things are working together -- the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a tapestry being woven in your life. There is a story made of bits and pieces. While some of them may look like trash, and some may seem worthless, God is building something. The blowups on Tuesday may be the groundbreaking of a promise on Wednesday. What may feel like a defeat today may be the springboard of a hope tomorrow. Even the things that tear us down and lay us low may be the things God is using to build us right back up in a more perfect way. Poor health can take you to doctor's offices and hospitals where people need to hear the Gospel and you are called to proclaim it. Losing your job can get you thinking about new ways to serve God, and maybe even support your family while doing it. Some of the pieces may not feel so good at the time, some may even be downright exhausting; some parts may be shadows, failures from our past, but God's purpose is to do something useful and amazing. And while those moments in time, those temporary afflictions may appear to be of little worth, they are merely part of the ingenious "together" that God is working in the lives of those who love Him.