How God Makes All Things Work Together for Our Good

Storms and Setbacks are a Part of Life.

We all encounter storms and setbacks as we go through life. It’s inevitable. When we encounter something we don’t want, don’t like, or consider a terrible situation or event, we may ask, “Why me, God? Why did you let this happen?”

Humanly, we may think this event hinders us, limits us, or keeps us from whatever good we are supposed to have or to do, but God may have a very different view. He promises in His Word that He works ALL things together for our good if we love Him (Romans 8:28). This means every bad thing that happens to us.

Recently, I have read of three people whose lives have been marked by such events. Yet, each of the three of them says it was a gift that allowed them to become the people they were supposed to be. Their disabilities and illness gave them a purpose in life - to help others either recover or avoid a similar tragedy.

The first of the three is Steve Stirling, the CEO of MAP International, a health care charity that gets life saving medicines and vaccines to people around the world. Steve had polio as a chid because there were no vaccines in S. Korea where he was born. As a result, he is crippled and uses crutches. Despite his handicap, Steve accomplishes more than three normal people. He works on his ministry and takes care to not be a burden to others. Because he was disabled from a young age, he concentrated on his studies in school and excelled. He went to an Ivy League college and then on to a prestigious business school where he earned an MBA degree. Today Steve uses all of that business knowledge and skill to get vaccines to impoverished people around the globe to prevent children from getting polio and other devastating diseases.

Steve writes, “I’ve learned that my physical limitations have helped me build my mental and spiritual strength. I have enjoyed great success and yet I never forget what it was like to be a child who couldn’t walk….My greatest strength is what most people assume is my weakness.”

Our second example, Georgia Shaffer, being interviewed for a book, made a startling statement, “Having terminal cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me.” As Georgia was going through a bone marrow transplant, she had to resign from her job as a computer science teacher at a local college. While she was recovering, she began to search for a book to help her get her life back on track. When she couldn’t find one, she decided to write that book herself to help others who needed to get their lives back on track. Georgia realized she had found her purpose and her niche and began helping people through her new career of life coaching, speaking and writing. As she found her true purpose, her cancer disappeared, much to the surprise of her doctors. After reading her story of how God carried her through her illness and got her to where she was meant to be, her startling statement made sense.

Finally, Army Spc. Ezra Maes, lost his leg in a tank maneuver involving three people. He was trying to help his buddies escape from the tank, which had rolled down a hill and crashed into a tree jamming them in. He himself, trapped in the smashed metal and gears, twisted so much he amputated his own leg. The three lay beside the tank wondering if anyone would get there in time to save them. When help finally arrived, Maes was so happy to be rescued and alive he called this lost leg a “scar.” On a Fox News report he says losing a leg gives him a purpose in life. He now knows he is supposed to help others who are disabled and discouraged. He gives them hope and a new outlook. “Attitude is everything,” says Maes. “I am so happy to be alive.”

So many times, God uses the seemingly bad in our lives to give us our purpose or ministry. Had Steve Stirling not had polio, would he have been willing to take a lesser salary than he could have gotten from corporate America to help children avoid polio and other diseases? Had it not been for cancer, would Georgia Shaffer have missed her true purpose in life? And, had it not been for a lost leg, would Ezra Maes feel called to bring hope and encouragement to the disabled? We think of these things as tragedies, yet these three say they are their greatest blessings. They understand the meaning of all things work together for good for those who love the Lord.