Everything Beautiful

 

(Photo credit: @Doug88888)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ephesians 3:11 NIV)

Oh my goodness. Yesterday was a whopper. I was like a crazy person putting out fires for soccer, filling out paperwork, making phone calls and withdrawing my daughter from public school. Apparently you have to do that if your child changes to a private school. They said they were sad to see her go (although they never met her). I almost got the feeling they thought they had failed her in some way. And as always, the staff is pleasant, kind and courteous. As I left the school Karoline has never attended, I was kind of gloomy. She really had a good experience in elementary school.

As I thought about the changes in our lives this year, I thought back over the last five years. And I found myself to be unexpectedly thankful for my husband’s job loss. Had he not lost his job five years ago, I would never have stepped out of my comfort zone and put my kids in public school. I would have continued the course that is predictable without even a thought of changing. When I think of the opportunities we have had (and will continue to have) I feel blessed.

You see, if my children would have never gone to public elementary school, we would not have been able to minister as we did. I thought about the kid who thought he wasn’t allowed to pray over his meal because he was at school. I told him he could and then saw him doing just that. There was the kid that the class made fun of who we invited to eat lunch outside with us. He and Jonah still have lunch together three years later. There was a little girl who told me Satan was beautiful. She explained he was an angel and therefore God created him beautiful.  Who knows? She has a point.

It’s a new school year and my son remains in public school. He came home yesterday asking if he can join band. He already takes orchestra and plays the violin. Now he wants to learn the trumpet. It reminded me of last year’s conference with his teacher. She told me she was so impressed that he wasn’t embarrassed to say he wanted to be a Christian musician when he grows up. And I was able to share that Jonah and I had just talked about God’s purpose for his life. This conference would be the first of many talks his teacher and I would have about God. She and I still keep in touch, almost daily. I am thankful for my new friend.

Sometimes life throws curve balls at us. We think our world is out of control. I suppose it never really was in our control. We like predictability. We like safety. We like to have all our ducks in a row (at least I do). But in the end, we can look at a seemingly rough situation and see the hand of God. He had everything under control the whole time. And His purpose was to draw us close, strengthen our relationship and open our eyes to things we would never have seen before. Yes, God makes all things beautiful in its time.