Why, God?

At the beginning of the month, I had a wonderful day where I could not stop wondering, Why, God, are you so good to me? As I spent time with a close friend and her family, I was overwhelmed by the completely unmerited goodness of God. I know that I deserve nothing, but even then, there are some blessings that I take for granted without even realizing it. Friendship is not one of them. Because I once had no close friends, I value the friends I have now in a deep way.

Back when I felt hopelessly lonely, I looked around and perceived that everyone else had friends. Even if they did not have deep and lasting relationships, they at least had someone to hang out with, while I felt that I was on the outskirts of everything. Now, I am blessed with an unusual number of true friends. There are people with whom I have developed meaningful relationships, and it was worth the wait. I have more deep relationships now than the people I envied may ever have. It amazes me how things have changed. Why, God? I have done nothing to warrant these blessings, and it overwhelms me to consider the incredible grace of God. In His kindness, He has given me these wonderful friends, and I am forever in awe of the goodness He has shown me.

When I had no friends, I rightly understood that it was for my sanctification, but my perception was skewed, for I gloomily predicted that I would never have friends as long as there was still sin to root out. Since that sin would never be gone, I concluded that I was doomed to a life of glorifying God by growing through these miserable circumstances. I missed the big picture. God is glorified through my sanctification, but it doesn't stop there. He also is glorified when I exult in His good gifts.

Difficult experiences draw us closer to God and refine our faith, but that does not mean that there is anything wrong with genuinely happy circumstances. God is glorified when I honor him in difficulty, and He is still glorified when I praise Him for the wonderful things He has done. God is my Heavenly Father, and he delights to bless me with good gifts and see me enjoying them. I do not cease to glorify Him when the sorrow turns to joy, but simply offer a different kind of praise. The definition of genuine worship is not "praising God in the midst of your difficulties". Genuine worship is praising God from a sincere heart regardless of your circumstances.

God is glorified when I praise Him in my pain, and He is glorified when I praise Him for the good things He has done in my life and the lives of those around me. I glorify Him when I recognize that He is the giver of my gladness and the source of all good things. He is a loving Father who desires my ultimate good. That may mean suffering at times, but a view which limits it to that is terribly restricted. God does not gain his glory by testing us in difficult circumstances, but by working through the good and the bad in our lives.

God does not present one aspect of life as supremely glorifying and then dismiss the rest. He wants everything about us to bring Him glory, and desires for us to praise His name in all circumstances. Our ultimate good is not found in relying on His strength specifically for trial, but in depending upon Him for all of life and seeing His hand in everything.