When God changes what was meant for evil to good…
Every Saturday I put together a plan for what I plan to write on during the week from my inspirational moments or thoughts that I jotted down in my notes. Today, I had a plan to write about this chaotic world we live in and the noise that invades our lives. I have been leading my neighborhood in the John Eldridge study of “Get Your Life Back”, and one of the items he shares is that we humans are not meant to bear all the negativity that we get exposed to in the world. As our worlds have expanded, we have increased our exposure to hardships that we would have never personally experienced. When a tragic event happens across the world, we see it, hear about it, and feel it countless times as it is shared across news platforms and social media. It’s exhausting. One of the ladies in my study shared she is an empath and that this exposure can become overwhelming. So, today, I had planned on writing about how our world is so connected and how we need to turn to God to give us rest. I was going to write about encouraging you to disconnect and find the quiet time similar to how Jesus need silent time in prayer, we need to shut out the noise and all the negativity we are exposed to in our interconnected world. That is what I was going to write about…and then God happened, doesn't he always?
My original message focused on the negativity of this interconnected world, the message I kept hearing was the positivity of this interconnected world. God changes what was meant for evil. You see, this interconnected world enables me to reach places with my writing, far and wide. I can deliver my message to my new friends in Tanzania, I can reach friends across the US, I can connect with new followers through the connections with my friends…the opportunity to deliver God’s message is endless. I can travel on a plane and deliver a message in Florida one day and be back in North Carolina doing the same the following day. Why would I speak to the negative of our interconnected world when it gives us such great opportunity to spread God’s love and message? “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:26-27, NIV). DId you read that? We cannot deny how connected we are. We came from one man, God created all of this so we would seek him and find him…and he is not far from any of us!
I am so thankful that God shifted my writing today from the need for rest and the negativity of being connected, to being grateful for the connections and how it enables me, all of us, to spread God’s word across the world.
Today, I pray that you be bold in your faith. I pray you share your message with others. I pray that our world be connected in love and God’s word-with that, we can overcome anything.
