"Life is hard, but God is good"

A pastor once gave this memorable analogy: “Do you ever feel like God shows up in front of your house; He’s in a four wheel drive vehicle.  He says, “Hop in the back.  Make sure you put your seatbelt on.  We’re going four wheeling.  And by the way, not just on the highways; we’re going off track.  We’re going out in the mountains.  We’re going to have some fun!”  Anybody ever feel like that?”  I certainly do.  Life often feels turbulent, bumpy, and unruly to me.

I don’t know where this quote originated, but someone said, “Life is hard, but God is good.”  Whoever said it is absolutely right.  Not too long ago, I commented to someone that the older I get, the more crystal clear it is that I’m not in control.  Ravi Zacharias in his marvelous book, “The Grand Weaver” writes, “We think that if only we were in control, everything would be fine.  I have a friend who is terrified of flying because, he says, he cannot handle anything that he cannot control.  I did not want to offend him by saying “Welcome to life.””

Just weeks before his passing, Pastor Rick Ferguson stated, “So what do we do…when we don’t understand God?  We keep trusting Him.  We keep worshipping Him.  We keep serving Him.  We keep looking to Him.”  Well said.  “Life is hard, but God is good.”  God, as “the driver” of the four wheel drive vehicle, knows exactly what He is doing; I trust Him, because He is trustworthy, faithful, and good.

I’ll conclude with this.  In an episode of the TV show “Lois and Clark” a despondent man is on the verge of committing suicide, but Superman stops him.  He says to the man, “Sir, please.  Life is a very precious gift.  Every day we’re alive is a new chance to be the best we can be.”  “Oh, please,” the man retorts.  “What would you know about it, Mr. Nothing Can Hurt me; I Don’t Need Money to Live?  And didn’t anybody ever tell you that two primary colors just do not work together?”  “You can make fun of my appearance, if you’d like,” the Man of Steel replies, “Or we can talk about what’s really bothering you.  Which do you prefer?”

 

The man does begin to articulate his problems, but Superman soon has another pressing issue to deal with, so he suggests that the man to get some help, but he proclaims, “Life is worth living.”  Later on in the episode, we see that Superman’s words took hold because the man says, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this it’s that life really is worth living for as long as you get to, because you never know what’s going to happen next.”  As my birthday looms closer, I am reminded that life – no matter how challenging it may be – is also “a very precious gift” to use Superman’s words.  And it is certainly worth living, no matter what.

Kevin