“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good…” Psalm 136:1
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11
God is good. We hear this when we receive a good gift from him. But what happens if we don’t get what we want? Is he still good?
Going through the adoption process isn’t for the faint of heart! The rollercoaster of emotions, the unknowns, the waiting, the longing, the hopes and fears, all of it make the process so refining.
I read the book, “The Meaning of Marriage” by Timothy Keller, early in our adoption process. He was telling the story of a young girl who desperately wanted to be married but she was content with whatever God had for her. She would remind herself, “If I get married, it is because God is so good to me. If I don’t get married, it is because God is so good to me.” Those two sentences were game changers for my heart.
I immediately went to my drawer and pulled out my cute card stock paper where I write new things God is teaching me. I wrote in big bold handwriting…
“If she is ours, it is because God is so good to us.
If she isn’t ours, it is because God is so good to us.”
Because it’s true, right? God knows what’s best for us. He gives us what is good for us and in his sovereign way he can work out either option for our good. I wanted my heart to be content with that…His goodness to us. No matter what. It took a constant turning of my heart towards him and his goodness.