HOW DID GOD USE A CRISIS OR PROBLEM TO BRING GOOD

HOW DID GOD USE A CRISIS OR PROBLEM TO BRING GOOD INTO YOUR LIFE?     Recall one of the worst times of your life and the circumstances that surrounded it. Was it the death of a loved one, an unexpected divorce, or perhaps an eating disorder? Now go ahead and ask today's important question about the good that God was able to bring out of it. God will use all your troubles in his plan for your life—if you let him.     NO SHORTAGE OF CRISES AND PROBLEMS, NO SHORTAGE OF GOD'S GRACE     What crisis or problem have you faced in your life: an addiction, infertility, a stock market crash, a kidnapping, an abortion, a job loss, an angry teen, or a hateful act of discrimination?     How did God use your pain or sadness? Did he fill you with empathy for others, draw you closer to him, or teach you to obey him? Did it cause you to bond with someone more closely? Did you end up taking a risk you would not have taken?     Did your grief or frustration turn you in a new direction, protect you from a greater harm, or give you wisdom you could share with others who were hurting? Did someone else ask you about your strong faith during your trials? Did you learn to trust God and let him help you? Janet Thompson, founder of Woman to Woman Mentoring, has seen God at work amidst her troubles.     JANET THOMPSON WOULD NOT TRADE THE LESSONS SHE LEARNED     Janet is a well-known author and speaker on the topic of mentoring. Her Woman to Woman Leader's Kit for churches about how to start, grow, and maintain a mentoring ministry and her Bible study series Mentoring God's Way have enabled thousands of women around the world to experience the blessing of how two Christian women can walk side-by-side to help each other.     Janet says that she accepted Christ while attending a church camp at the age of ten. She eventually completed her Master's in Business Administration (MBA) that immersed her in the fast-paced corporate world, where she interacted primarily with men. In 1995, Janet heard God call her to "feed his sheep."     He quickly revealed that feeding meant mentoring and that his sheep, in this case, were women, not men! To help prepare herself for this new work, she completed a Master's in Christian Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary.     How did God use a crisis in Janet's life for good? Janet speaks and ministers to thousands of women every year and recalls that each time she was with a group of women, the thought would come to her, Someone in this room will get breast cancer. Then she would whisper, "Please, God, don't let it be me." But it was Janet in 2002, just as she was in the midst of a full speaking schedule; a demolished, unusable kitchen and living room being remodeled; the Christmas holidays; family coming to stay for three weeks; and her husband losing his job.     Her experience with breast cancer in the middle of all that instability awakened in her a sense of deep compassion. She now understands the needs of someone in crisis and has learned all the things not to say. She was humbled by the focus on a private area of her body and by the mandatory requirement of accepting help. This, in turn, allows her to minister to others embarrassed by a delicate situation.     She says, "God will use our heartache, whatever its cause, to build our character, draw us closer to him, and make us pliable tools for his purposes. And, he will call on each of us from time to time to go through something, so we can better minister to others."     How Did God Use a Crisis or Problem to Bring Good into Your Life? Joseph Had a Series of Crises that God Used for Good     Joseph, son of Jacob, was sold into slavery and later imprisoned, but that's not the whole story! Read Genesis 37:23–28; 39:1–19; 41:39; and 50:18–20. How do you think you would have fared if you were Joseph?     SCRIPTURE TO PONDER     And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)     SUGGESTED PRAYER     Dear Lord God, I, _________, know that in all things you work for the good of those who love you, those who have been called according to your purpose. Today I thank you for how you planned, in advance, to turn all my crises and problems into good—and that you have made that promise to all Christians. It gives me enormous hope. Help me always remember that you are my compassionate and caring Father. I give all my hurt and troubles to you to put to good use.     So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?

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