Good In All Things
I don’t know about you, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard sayings like these while I was growing up:
“If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
“It could have happened to prevent something worse.”
These are… nice (and maybe comforting in the blissfully unaware sort of way), but are they true? Are they even helpful? And where did they come from?
As Holden unpacked the dispute between Paul and Barnabas, he made sure to take note of the impact that decision made on the churches. Because Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways, more ground was covered, and the good news reached more people.
I’d say this was a win, but it wasn’t a strategic move (although it seems it would have been a good plan). It was an unintended consequence of a very real and very emotional relational separation. Paul and Barnabas couldn’t agree, and neither were inclined to compromise.
As Steph pointed out in our response time, God was working in the background of this situation. It appears as though everything did happen for a reason.
There is a caveat. We find it in Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Paul and Barnabas certainly loved God and they were certainly called according to his purpose, despite their disagreement.
No, everything does not happen for a reason, but that’s ok, because God does work everything for good. I’m so thankful that we have a hope and a promise that is infinitely more true and more beautiful than the words I learned as a child.
-Heather
Heather Garrett leads Regen's Prayer Team. She and her husband Holden live in Girard with their daughter Chloe and dog Myles.
