"It kept me out of the National Honor Society".
I listened as my son, Tray, was remembering when he was in the 11th grade and a disagreement with a teacher about an assignment was the culprit that made his GPA just shy of the necessary requirements.
I started to lament the situation. It was my fault; I should have gone to bat for him; I should -- I should - I should.
This was not about me.
Hum.
I listened some more.
"It was probably a good thing, Mom".
Tray went on to say that he is glad his life has had what seemed at the time to be bad things because if they hadn't happened, then he wouldn't be where he is today - especially with regard to his lovely wife, Kristen and their daughters.
For the past few days I have been reading excerpts from, Great Days with the Great Lives by Chuck Swindoll - with a focus on the Biblical account of the life of Joseph.
As I reflected on our conversation I thought of the words that Joseph had for his brothers - those men who sold him into slavery and told their father, Jacob, his chosen son was dead. Years had passed, Joseph had been promoted to a place of honor when his brothers needed grain. Their reunion resulted in their lament...and Joseph told them "you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20).
So many times in my life I have been faced with some sort of tragedy - if not tragedy things that caused me to fear, worry, sorrow.
And yet I know that all those things happened for a reason - and if they hadn't happened then I might have missed what happened instead - and more than that - my children might have missed what happened instead and I think they would agree...
"...But God meant it for good!"
