Ugly things which are made beautiful by God!

 Today I would like to remind you that the Sovereign God of heaven and earth, who became your Father when you were born again has ordained the events that occur in your life each day.  Some are pleasant and others are not. God never effects evil but He is in complete control of it. Ecclesiastes tells us in 3: 11, He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

 I have had some ugly things happen to me since I was converted. I have experienced a depression, which can  only be understood by those who have gone through it. If you are interested in a personal account of a family dealing with depression, I would encourage you to pick up our book, published by Kregel Publications. The title is Broken Minds, Hope for Feeling WhenYou feel like You're Losing It (Please see below). 

 Another ugly thing that our family all experienced was the death of our only daughter, Lindsay, on September 11, 2001. She was expecting her first baby and our first grandchild. Since it was the infamous day of terror, she was returning home from a specially called prayer meeting for the nation, for all the first responders and for the victims' family members. As we followed her by car on astreet in Grand Rapids,Michigan;we witnessed her being hit head-on by a car full of grossly impaired young men. They were all shooting up heroine as they rode down the street, including the driver. We observed him to be passed out when he hit her. She lost her sweet baby, Emily, who lay in her arms in the casket three days later.





 Another ugly thing I have experienced is that I nearly died from Lithium toxicity and was under-treated for almost a whole month. I was hospitalized over a week and was released, only to have it come back when I left the hospital and was told to keep taking my lithium. I was in and out of the hospital over that month and finally on my last trip to the ER,  I mentioned to one of the doctors that I had read that Lithium can be stored in body fat. He told me that he and a fellow doctor had been discussing it right before he came to see me. I eventually got well, which I thank God for, and have been fine since this other ugly time in my life.
 
But I can say that "God has made everything beautiful  in His time" and He continues to do so.
The hymn writer put it so well and recently I have been blessed to have read the hymn and have sung it in my office with the help of YouTube. I know that some of the words are not used today. But here is the poem:

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

 Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;                                                                                                     All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counselor and Power.

The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,“
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNVCcph6cnI The Antrim Mennonite Choir

Please read our book Broken Minds, Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It. It is our story of God helping us through dark times of depression and demoralization.

Please click on the link below so that you can read about our book.
.http://heartfeltmin.org/resources.html