A work promotion that we deserved that went to someone else.
A speeding ticket that we were awarded as another car zoomed by.
Sickness.
Hardship.
Challenges.
Unfair.
It seems it is easy to list the things that are wrong with our lives. Perceived injustices or realized slights are often the first things that we discuss after our perfunctory “hellos” and “how are you doing?”.
Yet this list is incomplete. Because from my own experience, and from what I witness in Scripture, although things may seem to go from bad to worse during difficult seasons of our lives, there is often another side to the story. At the same time that we are quick to list what is wrong, we often neglect to look at what is right. Our focus is on how bad things are, so we are prone to miss that which is good.
Lot could attest to this. Living in a city bound for destruction, God provided him a way out. Then, as Lot lingered, the angels of the Lord dragged him to safety. Finally, when given the instructions of where he should flee, instead of going there immediately, Lot brazenly asked for a modification. The Lord relented and granted his request (Gen. 19).
Repeated kindness. Thoughtful compassion. In the midst of chaos and ruin, God’s mercy flowed.
Yet my guess is that when Lot told the story he focused on his sinful neighbors and the home he lost. The fact that his wife turned into a pillar of salt probably eclipsed the recounting of God’s favor over him and his family. Even when we share the account with our children the theme tends to be destruction rather than benevolence.
But it is there. Over and and over again. In varied and individualized ways, we see God’s love and grace.
When we share our story, or go through our difficult season, may we be quick to see God’s recurrent kindness. May we be eager to share it with those with whom our lives intersect. And may be quick to praise the One who brings good, even amidst the bad.