“For we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them.” ~Romans 8:28 (NLT)
This blog is about my attempt to Make Life Magnificent in every area despite the hardships life inevitably presents. That’s why my subtitle begins with The Beautiful Struggles of… Yet, when you think of the word “struggle,” the last thing that may come to mind is “beautiful,” or even magnificent! This leads to why I posted the Bible verse above: Romans 8:28.
Throughout my life, I’ve heard this verse so many times in so many contexts. Whenever I’ve faced tough times, I actually felt resentful of this Bible verse. How can losing my job or my home be for my good? How can going through a divorce be for my good? Or how can the death of someone I love be for my good? I especially asked these questions when I became a young widow. The problem in my understanding was the definition I used for the word “good.”
We use good to describe all sorts of things:
- Wow this food smells GOOD!
- Your perfume smells really good.
- Campbell’s Soup tastes Mmm! Mmm! Good!
- That was a good movie
- I’m doing good today. (When I hear this one I cringe because you should say I’m doing well…but that’s the English teacher in me! Sorry)
I could go on and on. We use good to describe all sorts of things and it almost always means something pleasant, pleasing, and satisfying. Perhaps when GOD talks about working everything (even the bad things) out for our good, He may have a different idea in mind. Not that His definition of good is synonymous with bad, but maybe He chooses to look at what’s good for us beyond physical, tangible things.
I can speak of my struggles with being single, raising a son, or working as a teacher in an urban school as being beautiful because I choose to believe that even in my hardships, GOD sees the bigger picture and is working on my behalf. I’m not implying that God is like a Santa Claus waiting to just give me whatever I want; however, he is like a Father that definitely wants the best for His children.
So I struggle with some things. In my struggles, I press forward. I’ll now be sharing those beautiful struggles with you. Please feel free to share yours as well.
You never know how your test can used as a testimony to bless someone else’s life.
Below I’ve included some quotes about struggling that are really uplifting to me. 
Making Life Magnificent 