A Divine "So That..."

I'm pretty sure most of us have asked the question, "Why God?" One of my faults is that I am, and always have been a brooder. When something bothers me, I don't just let it roll off like water on a duck's back. Not only that, but for some reason I'm also good at taking on the worries or problems of others, and stewing about them as well. I hate to see people suffer in any way, but I learned something last two weekends ago at the Beth Moore conference in Little Rock that for some reason has continued to replay over & over in my mind.

First of all, just like sand through His fingers, nothing happens in our life that hasn't first been sifted through the hand of God. There are a lot of non-believers out there that would challenge that by saying... "If God is so in control, then how could He let so many horrible things happen? Why would a loving God allow people to go through so much physical, mental, & emotional pain?" The thing that has been playing on and on in my mind is this... No matter what happens, there is A Divine "So That..." We can't always know what it is until later, and sometimes it is for the benefit of someone else that we don't even know.

The best way I can explain it is through examples:

"Why did my best friend as a little girl have to die from drowning?"

* It is a different "So that" for each person effected, but mine was So that I would become a great and very safety minded swimmer, and I would teach close to 400 children how to swim. I don't know how many of those children I taught through the years have had some sort of incident where knowing how to swim & the other safety things I taught them saved their lives, but I know that it saved my life when my family had a very bad white water rafting accident in Montana in 1998.

"Why is it that every time we get a substantial amount of money saved something happens, & we end up having to use it all?"

*So that I would realize that He will provide for us, & we can't allow money to be the thing we draw our comfort & security from.

"Why have I had to deal with weight gain, hair loss, and all the other unattractive things that come with thyroid disease when I'm so young & supposed to be looking the best I'll be in my life?"

* So that He could show me that I'm a lot more than what I look like on the outside, and that I have placed too much value in my own vanity, which is useless.

"Why am I so alone right now?" (this was a few months ago)

* So that I would depend upon Him & He could reveal Himself to me as real, and as close to me as any person I can see with my own eyes, or touch with my hand.

"Why did You allow a dear family that my cousin knows to lose their home in the tornado last night?"

* I've imagined "What if it had been us?" It has already caused me to realize that the only thing in my house that isn't replaceable are the people & of course my sweet little animals. I used to have a mental list of things that I'd grab in case of a disaster, and one was my wedding rings if I happened to have them off because they are sentimental and more monetarily valuable than any other single thing I own (I should know, it took Jon the whole first year we were married to pay them off). This has really caused me to think... it isn't the rings that make my marriage, in fact they are really just an ornament - a thing. If Jon needed something & we had to have the money I wouldn't hesitate to sell them. As much as I really love my house, it isn't the bricks & mortar that make a home, it is the people in it that matter the most.

There are other things that have happened to me that I'm still learning the "So that," and I'm sure there are others that I won't be able to understand for years. In whatever you may be dealing with, there is a "So that," if you are willing to let Him guide you & teach you.