It’s a hard reality some days that bad things happen. Things don’t go the way we want them to go. People get sick. Jobs are lost. Finances crumble. Lives change and not always for the apparent better in the moment. When someone asks us how it’s going, we have a tendency to reply with a smile and It’s all good.

But is it really? Is it really all good?

In the bible, there’s a story of a guy whose name is Joseph. He was a guy with some pretty bad luck. He was loved by his dad but hated by his brothers, sold to slavery, betrayed by bosses wife, thrown in prison just to name a few things!

But he kept his chin up. Somehow he was able to keep positive. Somehow he was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He even says, You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.

What a fantastic outlook! It reminds me of another bible passage where Paul says And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

This verse is a solid reminder that God is able to use even the most awful of circumstances to shape something truly life transforming for us. When things don’t go the way we want, we need to ask a few questions.

Is this really bad or does it just have the appearance of bad?

What in the moment feels like the worst thing ever might just be an emotional high or low. Pausing to honestly evaluate helps us see that life might not be as bad as we originally thought.

Do I really trust God’s promises?

For those of us who are followers of Jesus, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in saying we believe that God is present but actually living like it is a different story. If we truly believe in God’s promises then we will be more capable of seeing what he is up to in our daily lives and hold out for the good that he has in store.

This the general theme of our message on Sunday. You’re welcome to check it out and leave your feedback or comments.