R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts for R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Women
“Because we serve a great and powerful God who is able to work all things together for good, our past does not have to hinder us. The thing that determines whether it will be a curse or a blessing is our attitude.” My brother, Woody.
Today is my brother Woody’s birthday. He died two years ago. This morning, I wondered what kind of existence Woody is experiencing right now. I’m sure he knows the fullness of love and truth that he explored in his life. The following blog is taken directly from Woody’s notes for one of his Sunday morning classes at the Greenwich Road Church of Christ. The people who were privileged to sit in on his class were treated to spiritual ideas and thoughts that stretched their own thinking. His class was never ordinary. Each time I was there I came away with a renewed sense of hope because of being a child of this incredible, unbelievable, unexplainable God that we serve. I was also always encouraged not to just talk about the Father/Son/Spirit-centered life, but to experience a taste of the freedom and power and joy that comes from attempts to live out that truth every day.
“God’s plan for each of us is utterly realistic as well as good. It embraces all of our past, from year zero to now, including the ways people have failed us or mistreated us. Before we existed, God foresaw our opportunities and misfortunes, our advantages and disadvantages, our strengths and shortcomings, our aptitudes and handicaps, our successes and failures. He knew before time began the ways we would resist him and the ways we would yield; the days, years and decades we would waste, and the ones we would invest well. The whole drama of our lives has always been in his mind. So in his planning, he has woven in all eventualities. Before time began, he knew how he could use for good each negative chapter or paragraph of our lives. As we yield to him, he transforms them (often in unexpected ways) into something beautiful and useful. Even when we must continue to reap what we have sown in the past, he incorporates those consequences into our life story in ways that glorify him and enrich us.
Whatever our past, the profitable way to view God’s plan is “from now on.” I can choose his best for this moment and trust him to guide me into his perfect will from now on.”
“That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God new what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.” Romans 8:28-29 (The Message)
