Hi, everyone!
I'm sharing my first Bible Journaling page with you today. This is my new NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible. This Bible has printed images and words that you can color.
What I really love about this verse...
"In the beginning God..."
God.
God was in the beginning.
Do you believe God spoke, and it was? That He decided the sky would be blue, and the grass would be green? You know when I was a little girl, I used to think blue and green were God's favorite colors because that's what you saw everyday, everywhere. I didn't realize then that what I saw everyday is not what everyone around the world saw. People in Alaska may have though white and blue were His favorite colors from the snow and the sky being everywhere. People in desert climates might have thought orange and blue because of the color of the desert sand. Then again, I may be the only little kid who thought about what God's favorite colors may be. LOL
My brother, Eddie, and I had a conversation one time about how much God really controls on this Earth from day to day. Eddie was asking me if I thought God just allowed it to rain, or if He sent the rain by His will. Eddie was inclined to think that God set up boundaries and rules and other than that let nature take it's course. I told Eddie I believed God controlled the rain. Eddie asked, "Like how much? Like would He say, 'you can rain an inch here and 2 inches there and then let the water do it's thing?" I said, "No. I believe God controls every drop for exactly where it will land in every single place. Every. Drop." But you know, I've always been the odd child in the family who grew up to be the odd adult in the family.
(see Job 38)
I believe every little thing that happens on this Earth and in our lives happens because God allows it. Yes, even the bad things that happen. Because if I believe God is in control, I must believe He has allowed a thing to happen. With that being said, I also believe that everything... every... thing... that happens in our life will work for good for those who love the Lord. Even the bad stuff.
It would be great if we still lived in the Garden of Eden, but we don't. There is bad in this world. Evil even. Bad things happen. A lot of bad things happened to Jesus too. He didn't cause it or deserve it, but God allowed it. His best friends sometimes disappointed Him or denied Him, and then there was that betrayal by one of the twelve. Sometimes it was all roses and chocolate, and sometimes it was hurt and sorrow.
You've heard me say it a million times. We have a special needs child. Am I mad at God for allowing that? No. Because of Bonnie, I have met people I never would have met. I have had the opportunity to witness to therapists and nurses that I never would have crossed paths with. And I have been encouraged and comforted by them too. Bonnie is a gift from God, and I am so happy that I have the opportunity to be her mother and be able to tend to her all the rest of my life. So many people tell us how happy she is, and that she is always smiling. She touches a lot of people's hearts.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 NIV
In the beginning God.... He created everything. He had a plan before He started, and that plan included you and me. He knew before He ever said, "Let there be light" that we would be His one day. He mapped it all out. Who our parents would be, our siblings, our teachers.... what we would suffer, what we would endure, and how it would end. Even knowing before I was ever born all the mistakes I would some day make, even then He decided from the very beginning to set me apart as His own. Jesus paid for our sin. We are forgiven. Because God decided we are worth the price.
Yes, In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth.
He created You. He thinks about you all the time.
Today, try not to get frustrated when things don't go the way YOU planned. Instead, look for opportunities of how God is working this into a good plan He has for your life. Because all things work toward good for those who love the Lord. (Romans 8:28) Take the pain of disappointment, hurt, betrayal, suffering, sickness, hatred, denial... all of that, and know God is with you and will strengthen you through it. Maybe you are going through this because there is someone you will meet going through the same thing and you will be able to encourage and comfort them through it. And share your faith. And change their life forever.
Take a few minutes. Listen to the song below, and thank God that He knows you and understands you because He made you this way. Spend some time with Him today. If you are hurting, He is your Comforter. If you are feeling blessed, He is your Provider. Thank Him. He loves you.
Genesis 1:1 NIV
