It’s A “God-thing”

It’s a “God-Thing”.

How many times over the course of your day do you reference this contemporary terminology? Do you use it when you sleep through your alarm and yet amazingly the traffic is a breeze and you arrive to work with time to spare? Maybe you murmur it to yourself when your child who’s sick and needs a doctor ASAP, but you know there’s no way you can get an appointment and you suddenly hear the scheduler say, “Oh wait, we just had a cancellation.” Now that is a “God-thing.”

Perhaps when the evil one attacks a loved one and you, as a primary caregiver, feel at times overwhelmed, God shows up to remind you that life, whether it is good, not so good or indifferent, is a total “God-thing”.

This is the first article God has allowed me to write for this ministry. When I asked if there was a specific topic to cover, our editor expressed the importance of letting the “author decide.”  As I readied for church, asking the Holy Spirit to guide me for His glory, I kept hearing, “It’s a God-thing.” During the sermon our wonderful pastor, always prompted by the Holy Spirit, shared the importance of recognizing Jesus’ act of redemption and what that means for each of us.

Our church is considered a mega-church with around 4000 people attending the three services each Sunday. Rarely, if ever, will our pastor use a person in the congregation to make a point for his sermon illustration, but this morning he did. Using just my husband’s first name, he shared his chronic and debilitating back pain that despite his many challenges he finds a way to live in the “joy of our Savior.” Weeping, I found myself smack dab in the middle of my own “It’s a God-thing” moment.

For the first 33 years of my life, I was covered in sin and disobedience. When I married for a second time, I turned to God. My husband’s unconditional love was evidence of how much my Savior loved me; by giving me a second chance even though I was totally undeserving. Although we didn’t have children of our own – and neither did I choose children with my first husband – I thought children were not to be part of my life. However, as God does, He showed His love in a powerful way. He allowed the presence of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a plethora of kids that I have had the privilege of growing old with in the children’s ministry at church.

I absolutely adore volunteering in the children’s ministry sharing Sundays with preschoolers. They are always in the “present.” Preschoolers never spend time worrying over what they did yesterday or fretting over the angst of tomorrow and its challenges. Every moment for them is truly a “God-thing.” They bask in the moment. My favorite scripture is, “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

This simple instruction God gives for living is a reminder that His redemption, His work, His grace, is enough. Is life hard? You bet. But if we can concentrate on being more like preschoolers and live in the moment doing our best to be joyful, pray and give thanks along the way, then we can most assuredly count our lives a great success for God. After all, isn’t that why we are here to live for Him?

While the evil one loves to keep our challenges in the forefront of our thinking we just need to tell him, “Nope, my life is not yours … it is a God-thing.”

When have you recently experienced a “God-thing?”