The Good and the Bad

Many of my relatives are in Sandy's path in the NE. I have heard from a few, but not all. I am praying all is well, though I know many have lost power. As is true with so many awful things, there are sometimes silver linings. Here in NC, the silver lining is snow in the mountains, and the ski resort having it's historic earliest season opening. Our favorite ski mountain opens Wednesday. Asherel just finished a massive art project for a contest that she has been working on for several months and countless hours. As a reward, I will take her for a half day of skiing Thursday if all goes well and she can get ahead in school before then. I warned our friend, Danielle, who is our best ski buddy that she and Asherel can go do crazy snowboarding things. I will be doing "senior citizen skiing" since I have now been diagnosed with brittle bones. I will not be taking any chances, so may just stick to the easy slope, at least this first time out.

If only the good could come with no bad. If only Sandy delivered snow to the resorts without lashing and flooding other cities on its path. If only salvation could be ours without Jesus having had to die such a gruesome death. But, that is not the way the world usually works. Usually, suffering is in the mix, and our hope is not in the perfection of this world, but in the next.

John 16:1-11 (NIV)
“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. [2] They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. [3] They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. [4] I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, [5] but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ [6] Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. [7] But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [8] When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] about sin, because people do not believe in me; [10] about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; [11] and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.





-save a dog- hollowcreekfarm.org