“The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9).
Trisha watched her friend Jillian Blair run to her mother’s car and jump inside. Through the window she could see Jillian’s mother holding up the bird mobile Jillian had made in art class, smiling and exclaiming over it. Mrs. Blair gave Jillian a hug before starting the car and pulling out of the school parking lot.
God is so good to some people, thought Trisha. Jillian has everything. She’s pretty, she has nice clothes, she has lots of friends, she’s good in art, and she has a mother who can come pick her up after school. Trisha thought of her own mother, who had worked a full-time job for as long as Trisha could remember. Trisha had to stay late every day after school and wait two hours for her mom to get off work.
Trisha turned away from the window and noticed another friend, Heidi, sitting at a desk with her Bible open. “What are you doing?” Trisha asked Heidi.
“Learning my Bible club verse. Can I say it to you? It’s Psalm 145:9.” Heidi handed Trisha the Bible and recited, “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
“That was perfect,” said Trisha. “Good job.”
Heidi smiled. “It’s true too,” she said. “God has been so good to our family, especially since my mom died. My grandma has been able to stay with us and help us out, and my dad was able to finish paying all Mom’s medical bills. My little brother has even gotten over having nightmares!”
Trisha gave Heidi’s Bible back. She stood up slowly and walked back to the window, realizing how wrong her thoughts had been a few moments ago. Heidi didn’t even have a mom anymore. Yet she wasn’t doubting God’s goodness. She was praising Him for all the ways He had been good to her family.
“Thank you, God, for my mom,” Trisha prayed. “Thank you that she has a good job. Thank you for my friends. And thank you for forgiving me for my wrong thoughts. You really are good to me—better than I deserve.”
God is good to all.
My response:
» How do I think about God?
» Do I focus on the things I wish I could change in my life?
» Or am I praising God for the many ways He is good to me every day?