Coincidence? I think not!

     Coincidence. A word that usually implies that two things happened at the same time due to random chance. It's officially defined as: Of events, the appearance of a meaningful connection when there is none. However, as a Christian we understand something other people don't. And that, is God. Romans 8:28 says:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

God causes everything to work together for good. Causes is an active tense verb...that it implies a continuous action. So, right now as your are reading this post, God is causing everything in your life, and in the lives of every other Christian on the planet, to work together for good. Yes, that means the coffee you just spilled on your shirt because your cat jumped in your lap can be used by God for good. It will probably make you late for something, which could, in turn, save you from something bad that could have happened had you been on time. Cool, huh?

     When we learn to see everything as something God is using for good in our lives, we have more joy. Now, some of the things you run into don't seem like they could be used for good. But here's the thing about good...it's defined from God's perspective. God's ultimate plan is for you to have a loving relationship with Him; one that brings glory to Him and molds you into the image of Christ. And in the long run, those hard things you deal with can create Christ-like attributes inside you.

     Now, God does not wish us harm. He sees your ultimate destination and how you will grow from it. When Satan comes to God and asks, "Can I do this to so and so?" God already knows what will happen because of Satan's plan...and He chooses to either let it happen or to tell Satan no. And if He lets it happen, you can be sure He has your best interests in mind, you just may not feel like it when you're in the midst of the trial.

     You're probably thinking, "If Jason is writing about coincidences, then there must have been a coincidence in his life recently." You are absolutely right. Although I wouldn't call it a coincidence...just God.

     God's been working a lot in my life these last 10 weeks of CMI, and it's been interesting seeing how He's using the topics here to teach something that doesn't seem like I would learn here. That being said, yesterday I felt as if I had pretty much lived the entire day already...sorta like deja-vu, but more concrete. It's something I've experienced a lot, only in smaller amounts, and come to call a "flashback." The basic idea is, I have a dream about something and then forget about it, only for the dream to come true down the road, where I instantly remember the dream and have a complete understanding of what's going to happen in the next few seconds.

     Anyway, I walked through most of yesterday being able to know a little bit about what would happen next. And whenever something like that happens, I know I'm either going to make an important decision, or I just made one. Turns out this time it was neither...God simply wanted me to see that I didn't fully realize what He was doing. He pulled out two different things that I thought had no correlation and put them together. I get it now. What is it? That you don't get to know.

     However, what you can know is this: if you are seeking God with all of your heart, have no doubt that you will begin to see His plans and path for you. And when you see them, follow God down that path: it's the best one.