Thankful Thursday ~ God's Goodness

"Life is Good."

So says a whole line of apparently quite popular clothing.

I get the point.  It's a  positive-attitude, cup-half-full mentality.  All well and good.

Except...

Life isn't always good.

It just isn't.

Don't get me wrong.  Sometimes life is wonderful.   A big hug from my cuddle-girl Emlyn.  My child who struggled for years to read telling me how much she *loves* to read now and that she wants to be a writer someday.  Hearing my little one singing "The BIBLE" over and over and over again.  My big guy offering to fix lunch for his sisters because he knows I'm not feeling well.  Cooking supper alongside my sweet husband.  A note of encouragement from a friend "just because".   The list could go on and on.

But...sometimes life isn't good.

Thanks to man's sinfulness, there is evil in the world.  And all the positive-thinking, cup-half-full attitude in the world cannot erase that.  Evil, and its effects, cause life to be far from good sometimes.  The ravages of cancer.   Children experiencing the horror of abuse.   The untimely death of a young person.  Broken families. Devastating accidents.  Chronic pain and illness.  Financial crisis.  This list, also, goes on and on.

Life isn't always good.

In fact, quite frankly, sometimes it just plain stinks.

I ran across an ad for the above-mentioned company this morning, and curious, I read the story of their success.  And as I read, the thought that had come to mind when I first saw the shirts repeated itself over and over in my mind.  Not to be a pessimistic, cup-half-empty person, but "Life just isn't always good."

My next thought, immediately, was "But GOD is always good."  Always.

I am so thankful that that is unfailingly true.  That no matter what storm of life may shake us, no matter what grief, pain, disappointment, sadness, or fear we may experience, God is good.


When life is good...God is good.

When life is not good...God is good.

I am so thankful for God's goodness, and the fact that He never changes, in all the continuous changes of life.

"Circumstances aren’t the barometer of God’s love and goodness—the Cross is." 

Anne Cetas

Our Daily Bread

"For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You."

Psalm 86:5

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

Psalm 34:8

Thanks to Lynn for hosting Thankful Thursday this month!  Visit her to see what others are thankful for today.