The Hidden Silver Lining

I've been a negative person. I will cut things down, point out the flaws and totally critque it like a judge on America Idol.

Funny thing about the negative, if you go looking for it you will always find it. There are many negative things in this world, and that sucks.

You have to train yourself to be positive and that is what I have been doing here lately, trying to look at things on the brighter side.

If you know me at all you will know that I work at a church, I am a children's minister, something you have to know about working at church, it is not just a float on clouds type of job. Ministry is messy, people are cranky and tempers flare at what seems like just the wrong moment.

The ministry life is also very busy, there is this event and that event, and then you have to prepare a lesson for this and a lesson for that, you need to meet these people at this time, Oh and can you help me move a piano before you get to all of that?

But I digress on that thought, I enjoy my job, I get to share God with people and it be my vocation, and for that I am very thankful.

I feel God made me for my ministry job, in childrens ministry i get to use all of my gifts and talents and for that I am very thankful.

What about you? whats your job like? what about your current home situation? do you think it sucks?
are you super negative about it? do you complain?

Well maybe take a different approach and be positive about it, find something that you enjoy about it.
I enjoy that I get to play my guitar for God with my job.

There is always a silver lining, you just have to look for it.

Whats yours?

Life is pretty good.

Life is going pretty good these days I guess. I mean, how do we even judge something like that? Good health? Wealth? New toys and gadgets? Loving someone?

I think life is the sum of all kinds of little things and thats what makes life good. As you know I am a christian. And that means that I float around on a perfect cloud 24/7 and the troubles of this world never even cross my mind right?

Wrong.

I wake up in a bad mood, I say things I shouldn't, sometimes when the cold winds blow I don't react in a christian manner. I am flawed, I am imperfect. But yaknow what?

That's okay.

Life is imperfect and to me, that is what makes it beautiful. I love when things don't line up perfectly. I also relish the times in which I have to do something different. Times when I have to abandon plan A and go straight to plan B.

Plan B.

It is always unrehearsed. Very unplanned and often times not even planned at all. It comes off the top of your head and you are forced to be 100% you. Can't fake plan B. Either you have it in you or you don't.

Whats in me? Christ.

I often think about how God is what holds me together, like for real. I would be falling apart if I didn't have the hope that is found in the creator of the universe.
Good, Bad or Ugly, God is in control.

In sickness or health, wealth or poverty. God is still God. And he is working things out for good.
Now that doesn't mean things will always turn out the way we want them to. But they are good, God's good, not our version of good. Our version of good is all about us.

Whats the lesson to this blog post?

Keep it real. Life is messy, don't pretend it is not.
I have Christ in my heart, but that doesn't mean that life is all peachy keen.

I do have a hope and a future with a promise though.
and that is what I cling to, that is what I will hold on to.

And because of that promise, because of that hope,

Life is pretty good.

-The Adam Rainwater