Good & Bad

Thought for the Day:

Often times I look around and I wonder what is good and what is bad in this world and then I think to myself... at one point in time are they not the same?

I've thought of unfairness quite often this week. 

"Why did she get a better grade than I? I'm the better student!"
"How come Freshmen get housing and I don't? I've been here longer!"
"I'm a better person than she is, why is it that she found a place to live before I did?!"

It was as if the same amount of bitterness came out of my mouth as did prayer. I was asking God all the wrong questions. 

I have been suffering with a nasty stomach bug all week as well as trying to find a cheap place to live that is close to my campus. Plus trying to finish up my junior year of college. This has been a stressful week yet all I have seemed to do was blame the fortunate ones around me. 

This morning I woke early to finish a paper and do a bit of chores around the apartment. I sat at my desk and simply began to pray. That's when the Lord spoke to me. 

He reminded me about the passage in Matthew 19:16-17:

"Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?'

 'Why do you ask me about what is good?' Jesus replied. 'There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.'"

I had been so caught up in what was good that I had forgotten that there was only One who was GOOD. As I let God speak to me and bring me back to reality I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders! The stress of finding a place to live, worrying about who got a better grade than me, who got a house or apartment before I did, and stressing about if I will get a B in my classes or not was all gone. The Maker of the universe has my life under control. 

Many times we try so hard to measure ourselves up to someone else's successes when really our triumphs are all handled by the Lord above. So when my sun shines it shines because the Lord allowed it. When I wake up in the morning and taste that fresh air it's because my Father allowed it to be so.

  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

I woke up this morning stressed and thinking I wasn't good but now I am alive again thanks to my Lord and Savior on this very very 

  GOOD FRIDAY!