What do you See…

I see those words again, as I sip my hot coffee from the mug those words are etched.

“See the Good”.

It’s the coffee cup I drink out of every morning, creature of habit, I drink from its well of warmth.

A sweet friend gave this mug to me several years ago and I still cherish it.

She had no idea, I am sure, of how those words would be a balm to my soul on weary, no-sleep, tossing and turning at night, mornings.

Lately, this phrase, this way of life of seeing the good has been extra difficult.

Sickness, death, heartbreak surround our lives.

A close friend’s 22 year old baby girl is on life support from a drug overdose.

Another friend has a teenager struggling with debilitating depression.

An uncle facing another bout of cancer that seems to be eating him alive, and the chemo is as well.

How can we possibly see the good when all of this engulfs us?

It is something I struggle with, if I am honest.

It is something I have to beg God to help me with. To OPEN my sinful, worried, fleshy eyes to see what HE SEES.

The friend with the child on life support called me yesterday just to “hear my voice.’ Meaning, she just needed a bit of normal in the well of sorrow.

She filled me in on some small things that were GOOD involving her baby girl’s progress.

I am holding the phone about to break down and lose it on her as I hear the joy in her voice over the tiniest of progress, and I mean tiny.

My friend is seeing the Good.

I strain to see it with her.

Her voice is so happy as she goes into detail about these baby steps of progress, even as her girl stays sedated, breathing by a tube.

God, give me your eyes to see.

I beg Him.

Meanwhile, I wake up with a racing heart over the worry of another friend who’s teenager is severely battling depression.

I know this one well.

Not many years ago, we walked this with one of my own and it was the hardest road I have ever journeyed.

I never thought we would see light…or good.

But, we did.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

If I am honest, I have been the man who struggled with unbelief…the father in the new testament. I have been this man over and over and over again.

This father had a son who was possessed by an evil spirit. The father was desperate for Jesus to heal his boy.

The exchange goes like this…

 Mark 9:21-24

“Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered.  “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Jesus goes on to heal the boy.

But, I get stuck here in this passage every time I read it.

The father believed but he also struggled with unbelief.

When it comes to my children, I often think I know what is best for them. I have a hard time taking the grip off of my kids to let God do His beautiful work in them.

Deep down, I think He won’t come through for them.

I admit it to Him often, and I repent often.

He knows my heart the best and He is patient with me in this process.

However, I have to submit and surrender to Him on the daily.

Can you relate?

Maybe it isn’t an issue with your kids—maybe it is a health issue, or financial or marital.

This hard place, this hard thing…

There is GOOD.

We just have to draw close to Him, look through His eyes, and see.

This morning, I sat outside and instead of listing my requests out to God, begging for answers, I sat still.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

I heard so much Good as I quieted my heart and my mouth. I just sat and watched and listened to God’s creation.

Birds singing their morning melodies…Fall leaves rustling in trees…dogs barking in the distance…the pant of my golden retriever’s breath and his paw on my knee…

See the Good.

It is there.

Don’t go one more day without seeing the Good.

You will get stuck on bitterness, anger, discontent, unforgiveness, dread, sorrow, fear, worry….If you don’t decide today to see the Good around you.

Go against the grain of the world and what the news tell us.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

So, if you are like me, you need to know how to put this seeing the good stuff into practice.

I have some ideas I will share, some things that have helped me along the way.

*Start your day writing in a gratitude journal. Before you pick up your phone or start your day, write out your gratitude.

*Capture your thoughts. When you feel that brain of yours go for a tail spin with worry, what-if’s, fear, or doubt…meditate on scripture, or go straight to prayer.

*Do NOT let those worrisome, or fearful, or angry words escape your mouth. This one is HUGE. Do not go to your phone to vent, to talk it out…go to God in prayer instead. After you have gone to God, then, if you want to share with someone and ask them to pray, go ahead. But only after you have gone to God first and foremost.

The more we share our fears and worries, the bigger they become. Don’t let them get oxygen to grow. Give them to God and let Him/Trust Him to do the rest.

*Pray and pray often. Jesus tells us this over and over in scripture and He modeled it for us. If Jesus prayed often, surely we need to as well!

*Quiet your heart and your world. Take a break from your phone often. Social media, news apps, they will go on fine without you for a while. You will be AMAZED by what you have been missing under your very nose when you stop and look around you instead of down at your phone.

*Visit an elderly person. Sit with them a while and let their wisdom wash over you. You will leave with gratitude and the desire to make the most out of your years here.

*Give something away. Something that means something to you. Pray and ask God to help you bless someone—it will bless you more to give than you could ever imagine. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35

Friend, don’t wait until something “good” happens to see the good. Find the GOOD every single day! Search it out as if you were searching for Gold!! Because, really, it is GOLD.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:21

seeing the Good,

jill