In light of our adventurous trip over here, I was thinking about how we define “good.” In general, we consider “good health” to be having no ailments, a “good job” to be well paying and enjoyable, and a “good day” to be one where nothing goes wrong and we achieve what we have set out to do that day. In contrast, when we look at life in light of eternity, we realize that when God allows “bad” things in our life that draw us to Him, that teach us more about Him, these are GOOD things. Job was a man who experienced great hardship – yet in Job 42:5 we read, “I had only heard about You (God) before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” What seemed to the world around him to be “bad” was in fact very “good”; in the end, Job saw God through his circumstances. It doesn’t get much better than that!
It struck me as I was thinking about today being Good Friday, that for the disciples, and even Jesus Himself, the events of this day so many thousands of years ago would not have seemed very “good.” Yet Jesus was willing to trust that His Father defined good and what was “the darkest day in history” is for those of us who believe a very “good day.”