God's Story Is Our Story: From Acts to New CreationSample

I remember thinking when I was younger, "why do I always get caught?" It never seemed to fail. Other people got away with all kinds of line-crossing. This seemed unfair to me. 

With more years (and hopefully wisdom) the equation has become switched. I now see the people who got away with everything and think of how that has not been good for their life. Many went further and further down unhealthy roads. I now see getting caught as a mercy from God and a sign of his love for me. Getting caught built a dislike of evil, a fear of evil, and a desire for goodness. It's actually one of the things God used to draw me back to himself.

There might be times when we ask, "how can God be good when he puts hard things in my life?" Not every suffering we experience is because God is disciplining me for something I've done wrong. The Bible has more to say on the topic than that. But, when I am suffering consequences because of what I've done, I can see the goodness of God in my suffering. He loves me too much to let me go.