that’s good / that’s bad

The kids went to a birthday party this week, and brought home an unwelcome guest. We spent the whole today in bed or on the couch, nursing our fevers, calming coughs, and soothing sore throats. As I tucked my princess in bed, she asked me to pray for her cold. I did, but probably not how she expected.

I had the pleasure this last week of reading The Shack, Wm Paul Young’s conversation with God. One of the recurring themes in the book is how we have set ourselves up to judge so many things. We judge other people, we judge situations, we judge all of Creation.

At times we might even be guilty of judging God.

When the voice of wisdom speaks to the lead character in the book, she says that we ought not judge a situation based on how we feel about it. We judge that which brings pain to be evil. We judge that which brings discomfort to be not of God, because it certainly doesn’t fit into our will.

And yet, when I think about my father’s painful and prolonged death from a brain tumor, I have to think twice about the situation.

His tumor was painful, and robbed him of much before it took his life. That certainly seems evil (or at least bad) on the face of it.

But through his illness, he provided a written testimony that was read by several thousand, including a large number of hospice patients who faced similar situations.

Through his refusal to call it quits against a tumor that was a 100% killer, I learned something about determination. I’ve had to draw on that lesson repeatedly in the years since.

Through his ongoing concern for my mother, at a time when he could easily have been very self-focused, I saw what true love does under pressure. In my better moments, that shows up in my own marriage, a role model that I hope is seen by my kids.

So tonight, I prayed first that my daughter would heal quickly from her cold. Then I prayed that, if there was something to be learned from having to slow down for a few days, that He would help us to understand that.

Above all, I prayed that we would be grateful for what we have, especially each other.

At five, a cold is a horrible thing. At 44, it is a nuisance. I think we both miss the point – that there can be unexpected blessings in a day where the pajamas stay on and the most strenuous activity is turning the pages of Prince Caspian.