The Shaping

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Romans 8:28 – 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. (NIV)
One of my hobbies is paper quilling. This involves taking thin strips of coloured paper and rolling them around a spool into a tight circle. After the finished circle is removed from the spool, the coils can be released to the size needed, then configured into various shapes. There are approximately a dozen different shapes that can be made from the original circle. The shapes are then glued to a card to form pictures. It is a tedious, yet rewarding, hobby when I view the finished product.
Working on this hobby reminds me of life. We all possess life; it is the common denominator, or "circle" in all of our journeys in this world. Each life, however, is moulded and shaped on a continuous basis due to the circumstances and people who enter it. These experiences and relationships have the power to create something beautiful and fulfilling, or the opposite, depending upon how we allow them to affect us.
There are times when I feel that events or people in my circle of life are crushing, oppressing, or influencing me in unhealthy ways, and I become angry or distraught, confused or frustrated, trying not only to make sense of what is happening, but also to determine how to handle it in such a way that these negatives are turned into positives. At such moments, turning to today's Scripture verse becomes a pivotal point as I remember and trust in God's ability to work these negative life events into something good in my life. I am reminded that, when I turn everything over to Him, He is able "to bestow on [us] a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of the spirit of despair, [that we might] be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3 NIV) Knowing and trusting in God's power to make a negative into a positive assures me that the various shapes into which my life is sometimes twisted can all turn out to be beautiful and for my best by the time He is finished with them, even though in the moment, it is hard for me to fathom such a transformation.
How about you? Are you struggling with events that are seeking to shape you in ways that are causing distress and anxiety? Have life's circumstances turned your positives into negatives? If so, take a step in faith by turning them over to God, Who is ready and waiting to work all of them for good in your life, if you will only allow Him to do so.
Prayer: Father God, thank You that You are a God of transformation and positive change. Take our negatives this day and work them for good in our lives. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.