"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28
I had taken my three year old son to Walmart and we had to make a pit stop, so we were in the men's restroom. I took my eye off of him for only one second and then I heard his voice. I turned to find him on his hands and knees peering under a bathroom stall door. He was shouting back at me in wonder, "There is a man tee-teeing in there!"
There is a lesson to be learned here, besides the obvious lesson of never take a small child to Walmart. That is a lesson we all know, but we do it anyway. There is a deeper more spiritual lesson to be learned.
You see I believe that there is a purpose and meaning in every event in life. God promises to take the random events in life and work them for your good, even events like your child broadcasting what is going on in the bathroom stall.
When your three years old life is an adventure. In every store and under every bathroom stall door there is something new and exciting. Every day brings new knowledge and different experiences. Life is fresh and wonderful. I think when Jesus tells us we need the faith of a child that the newness and freshness is a part of it. The Christian life is full of random, wonderful discoveries if we have the eyes and heart to see them.
So I look for the hand of God everywhere. In every seemingly random event of my life, every strange new thought I might have or in some item in the news that catches my attention I can see God working something for my good. I think that day in Walmart everyone involved learned a lesson.
- I learned about seeing things through the eyes of a child.
- My three year old learned what goes on behind bathroom stall doors.
- The man in the stall learned that when there is a preschooler involved that privacy is just an illusion.
Upon Further Review:
God does use seemingly random events to shape us and mold us. That is not to say that we should wander through life aimlessly without purpose or direction. God uses the random things and the purposeful things of life to achieve his goal of making us more like Jesus.
Some of what I know about prayer I learned very purposefully. I sat down with a bible and studied what it said about prayer. I have read books about prayer and attended seminars. I have learned many valuable things about prayer that way.
I also learned a very important thing about prayer when I was just 12 years and had never dreamed about studying up on prayer. At a revival service, during the invitation I did as the preacher asked and prayed that someone might be saved. When I opened my eyes at the end of my prayer and the invitation I saw that the boy seated next to me had walked the aisle and prayed to receive Christ as his Savior. I had not set out to learn about prayer, but God had taught me a lesson about prayer that I shall never forget.
It also important to purposefully study God's word so that we can judge the random experiences of life in light of what scripture says. This is so incredibly important. Our experiences should always be judged by scripture rather than letting our experiences be the judge.
You might be going through some difficult times. Some random tragedy, an illness or an accident might lead you to think that God doesn't care for you or that he has abandoned you. That is listening solely to your experience. However, the bible tells us that God never leaves us and that he loves us so much that he gave his Son to die for us on a cross. So, let scripture judge your experiences. Let God's word interpret the random events of your life that God wants to use to achieve his purpose.
Read Romans 8:28-29
- Does God say we will always know what the good is he bringing about?
- Does God work things together for good for everyone or are there certain conditions to be met?
- What is the direction God is taking us? Who are we being made like?
