And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose.
Note that it isn't a promise for everyone - but for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
Now, sometimes it is hard to see how all things work together for good, and, in many cases, we won't see the "good" until heaven... but... sometimes God lets us see the "good" now, and sometimes I think He must chuckle at us.
So, going back a few weeks, when we were in Virginia, at one point, when Dwayne was closing the back window on the driver's side (aka the emergency exit), somehow the clip that locks it closed broke off. Maybe it was in the latched position when he tried to slide it closed, or maybe the plastic was just old... but it broke.
Not a huge deal - we can close it and just not latch it. Sometimes when we stop we find that the window has come open with the shake-rattle-and-rolling that is part of our traveling, but the screen stays closed, and it hasn't been a big deal. Dwayne was annoyed about breaking it, but I figure there are things that are going to constantly go wrong with the motor home, and I would rather "this week's problem" be a broken window latch than, say, a roof leak.
Fast forward to our stay in Livingston. We again heard "Mac the Fire Guy" and he again encouraged all of us to practice exiting our motor homes - ok, on the to-do list.
One evening, we were leaving the motor home to go to a gathering of Escapees in the park. As we left the unit, Dwayne engaged the lock and slammed the door. I turned back around and said, "Do you have *your* keys?" He looked at me with a "oh no" look and said, "Don't you have yours?" Well, no, neither of us had our keys.... and to add to that, I usually have a smaller set of keys (that has both door keys) in the Jeep, but it was inside the Trek in my purse too... so... no keys, outside the Trek, what to do? Call a locksmith?
Wait, let's think - the window that doesn't latch...
Carry the picnic table over and put it under the window.
Force the window open - HURRAH! It opened!!!
Climb in - thankfully wearing winter coat to prevent too much damage to ribs as I hoist myself in.
Out the main entry door, this time *with* our Trek keys.
(Side note: we had determined that if anyone saw us "breaking into" the Trek, we would say, "Oh we're practicing... you mean we're supposed to practice getting OUT, not getting IN????")
Now, for you who don't believe that God cares about even little things like getting locked out of your house/vehicle... well... I think He cares about every little thing that goes on in His children's lives! And I truly believe that He prepared a way for us to get back into our motor home many days before our need for it!
On that topic, I also believe that He has prepared a way that all might live with Him forever, a free gift of eternal life, contingent upon each of us believing that we are sinners, that God is Holy and cannot abide with sinners, therefore He sent Jesus - the perfect God-Man - wholly God and wholly Man - to live as we live, be tempted as we are tempted, and yet not sin - but ultimately to take on the sins of all us - past, present, and future - so that on the balance sheet of life, all the sins that are in "my column" of the spreadsheet were written onto Jesus' column. While He died for all, His Righteousness is written into "my column" only if I choose to accept His perfect sacrifice for my sins.
If you haven't already, accept His gift of Righteousness - here's one of my favorite set of scriptures to follow (the Roman Road):
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. "Yes, Lord, I know that I am a sinner, and unable to save myself."
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. "God, I can't imagine it, but You loved me so much, that even when I was unaware of my need, You provided a way that I could become right with You."
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. "God, I know that my sin deserves death, but I thank you that the penalty of death was paid by Jesus."
Romans 10: 9,10, 13 - If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation... for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - "Lord, I say with my mouth (confess) that, from this point forward, Jesus is my Lord; I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I trust that Jesus' sacrificial death allows me to be saved, and I will trust in Him and Him alone for my salvation."
So, if you aren't a part of the "family" yet, for whom the "family secret" at the top of this post applies - follow the "Roman Road" and accept God's free gift of salvation; the gift is free, but you have to accept it.
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