"You'll get through this. It won't be painless. It won't be quick. But God will use this mess for good. In the meantime don't be foolish or naïve. But don't despair either. With God's help you will get through this."
story of Joseph
Your pit
Genesis 50:20: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
In God's hands intended evil becomes eventual good.
Isaiah 43:2: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
"Let me be clear. You are a version of Joseph in your generation. You represent a challenge to Satan's plan. You carry something of God within you, something noble and holy, something the world needs-wisdom, kindness, mercy, skill. If Satan can neutralize you, he can mute your influence."
That was from Chapter 1 You'll Get Through This
Chapter 2 Down, Down, Down to Egypt
Life pulls us down
God has greater plans for me
You are God's child forever
2 Corinthians 5:1: When this tent we live in--our body here on earth--is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever.
2 Timothy 2:12: If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
Romans 11:29: God's gifts and God's call are under full warranty--never canceled, never rescinded
What do I have that I cannot lose?
earth is only a passing through and death is merely a rebirth
Chapter 3 Alone but Not All Alone
every parent's worst nightmare: ambulance, ER, sobs and shock
You will never go where God is not
Make God's presence your passion
Lay claim to the nearness of God
You may lose the sense of God's presence-don't equate the presence of God with a good mood or a pleasant temperament
Cling to his character
Pray your pain out
Lean on God's people
We know what the bottom looks like, and we know who is waiting there--Jesus Christ.
Chapter 4 Stupid Won't Fix Stupid
one act of carnality is a poor exchange for a lifetime of lost legacy
Do what pleases God
Chapter 5 Oh, So This Is Boot Camp!
As long as Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, he will wreak havoc among God's people
Intended evil becomes ultimate good
Jeremiah 30:24: The Lord shall not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the thoughts and intents of His mind.
In the Bible, a test is an external trial that purifies and prepares the heart
James 1:3-4: For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
1 Peter 1:6: In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
This test will become your testimony
Rather than say, "God, why?" ask, "God, what?"
Chapter 6 Wait While God Works
This planet is God's waiting room
while you wait, God works
Be still and know that I am God
Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and belief
Isaiah 40:31: Those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Chapter 7 More Bounce Back Than Bozo
the clowns that you knock over and they come back up-braced by a lead weight
Our weight is a deep-seated, stabilizing belief in God's sovereignty
Chapter 8 Is God Still Good When Life Isn't?
Is God only good when the outcome is?
God never creates or parlays evil
He is sovereign
God permits it
It is the collective cooperation of the elements that creates good (reminds me of Rick Warren's example about how individual ingredients of cake don't taste good-only when they are all together)
We must let God define good
God redirects the energy of evil against its source
(I read this example before in another book-Christyn Taylor when she drew her line in the sand)
Can't do that-have to give our lives to the Lord
"A seemingly senseless death? Just look at the cross. He exacts nothing from us that he did not experience himself. Why? Because he is good."
What is coming will make sense of what is happening now
This is one millisecond compared to eternity
Chapter 9 A Splash of Gratitude With That Attitude, Please
God Made Me Forget-"Manasseh" (name of Joseph's first son)
God Made Me Fruitful-"Ephraim"
when Jesus healed the ten lepers and only one came back to thank Him
-too busy, too cautious, too self-centered, too arrogant
grateful heart sees each day as a gift
Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff
"Anyone can thank God for the light. Jesus teaches us to thank God for the night."
Chapter 10 Now, About Those Family Scandals and Scoundrels
Restoration matters to God
The healing of the heart involves the healing of the past
"Your family failed you. Your early years were hard ones. The people who should have cared for you didn't."
Romans 12:2: Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Chapter 11 Revenge Feels Good, But Then...
Revenge builds a lonely house
God cares more about justice than we do-God will repay
story of Joseph's brother Judah-wake-up call
Vengeance is God's. He will repay-whether ultimately on the Day of Judgment or intermediately in this life.
Chapter 12 The Prince Is Your Brother
Jesus redefined his family to include all who come near him
story of Joseph and of Jesus very similar
"You will get through this. Not because you are strong but because your Brother is. Not because you are good but because your Brother is. Not because you are big but because your big Brother is the Prince, and he has a place prepared for you."
Chapter 13 Good-bye To Good-byes
"Death is the most difficult good-bye of all."
"We were not made to say good-bye."
The Great Day
One huge family reunion
Reference to Steven Curtis Chapman and Pastor Greg Laurie who told him, "Remember, your future with Maria is infinitely greater than your past with her."
"We bury dreams. But in heaven these dreams will come true."
Reference to Heaven Is for Real: "Yeah, she said she just can't wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven."
"Someone is saying the same words about you."
"Our final home will hear no good-byes."
Chapter 14 Keep Calm and Carry On
(This chapter starts with the story from the tract about 9/11 that I included in your thank you notes)
"God doesn't manufacture pain, but he certainly puts it to use."
"We can't always see what God is doing, but can't we assume he is up to something good?"
Make a plan
Chapter 15 Evil. God. Good.
"When God gets in the middle of life, evil becomes good."
"What Satan intends for evil, God uses for good."
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