Blog# 378 Good / Bad

Blog  # 378  Good  /  Bad

            This morning I was reading over some notes from years ago when I was Pastor out in our Glenmary  Mission in Idabel, OK., looking for something I thought might make a blog.   What follows here is an adaptation of something I found.

         "And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God..."  (Rom. 8: 28).
These words from the letter to the Romans took on a special significance for me last week-end when the water supply system here in Idabel broke down. It was real. Was it good or bad?  Both.
           In itself, to be without water was bad.  But the Bible had taught and reminded me that all ,
(and I had always included sin in that all),could be turned into good for someone who loves God. So I began to think how this truth about all things and God and us on this particular occasion could be discovered and verified in our lack of water.

          For one thing, it was easier now to appreciate the value of water.  I came back from Broken Bow Sunday afternoon thirsty, and there was no water.  Now that it was no longer available,  I thought how easy it is for us when we ordinarily have it to take it for granted. And  how this same thing could be done with regard to time, health, friends, opportunities to grow and to pray and to do good for others as it was with water'  It was bad to be without water, but it was good to be reminded of the thoughts that came after the water was no longer available.
          I reflected on how wonderful yet commonplace the gift of water is. We need and use it to wash ourselves, our dishes, and our clothing, to nourish our house plants, pets and gardens, to float our boats for fishing, to quench our thirst and to make it easier for those who are sick to swallow their pills, to enjoy  a scene of beauty and peace on a placid lake, to receive and express our sharing in God's own life in Baptism, to cook our food, to fill a water pistol for children at play, and for swimming. And all of this was good.
            I called some neighbors and discovered the lack of water was not just in my house but was a general condition in the whole city.  This reminded me of how we all share life not just as individuals but as a community, and this was good.  Then a neighbor brought me a gallon of water he could spare, and that was good.  Men were working generously to repair the trouble, on Sunday, what would ordinarily be a day off for them, and this was good. I prayed in thanksgiving for them and again for the gift of water, and that was good.  The letter to the Romans was true, not only in Rome centuries ago but now in Idabel, and that was good.

          Thank You for all of your gifts, dear Lord, those I have enjoyed and used in the past, those I have today, and those that are to come in the years ahead. Help me not to take them for granted and to realize they are always better when they are shared.