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The Good Life

Post author:Gina B
Post published:February 8, 2013
Post category:faith

The world would have us think that a good life is a “significant” one. It is one in which you have bigger, better, more; you have some combination of fame and fortune.

I believe God would differ.

And I agree with Him, especially after reflecting on the life of my grandmother.

The night before her funeral last Saturday, we sat around before the wake and shared stories of my grandma, what she was like.

What emerged was a picture of a woman of integrity, a woman driven by her values and faith, who knew hard work, resourcefulness, and discipline, and intentionally passed them down to her children. She accepted what God gave her. She poured herself out for those around her. She took joy in little things.

My grandparents lived a small life in the eyes of the world. They lived their whole lives in a farming community so tiny it doesn’t even have its own grocery store. Not many knew them, not many outside our family will remember them.

But they lived in a way that I wish more people would imitate – humbly, faithfully, honestly. I am humbled when I look at the way they lived, and I hope to live like they did. As I think about my word of the year – content – they are a model for me.

That’s how you live a good life.

All Things for Good

Post author:Gina B
Post published:February 4, 2013
Post category:faith

I wasn’t supposed to see my grandma that Thanksgiving.

We had plans to drive to Wisconsin, but because our shipment from overseas finally arrived, my husband flew to Orlando to receive it. My parents were going to visit my grandma at the nursing home. I decided to go with them because it might be the last time I saw her.

It was.

Upon reflection, we see that decisions we make, or things that happen to us beyond our control, were the work of God.

My grandmother passed away several months later. Her funeral was scheduled for a Wednesday. Due to some family issues, they changed it to Saturday. Wednesday did not work for me because my husband arrived home that day from a trip. I found frequent flyer tickets. Erik had a couple days off of work to stay back with the kids. All those things added up to me being present for my first family funeral since 1999.

He works all things for good. I look back on my life and there are some events – our son’s birth, our move to Singapore, two years of illness, our move back to America – where, on paper, it didn’t look the way I planned it. Circumstances I did not choose, seemingly ordinary decisions, plus God’s impeccable timing – they all interwove to create something better than I imagined.

I might not have said it at the time, but afterward I can look back and see a God who is tender hearted, who cares about the details, who does indeed work all things for good.

If I can see it so clearly in these circumstances, how many other times did He work on my behalf and I just didn’t recognize it? And how many more will there yet be?