I recently had a discussion during which the age-old question arose: If God is so good, why do so many bad things happen? It’s a question that’s not easily answered and it can be approached from various angles. Personally, I wonder how many bad things don’t happen because God is so good.

James 1:2 assures us we WILL face trials in life. No one likes trials, but at least they cause growth. There is always a purpose and always hope. And as Romans 8:28 reminds us, “all things work together for the good of those who love God…” (emphasis mine).

It’s all about trust. Despite not knowing “why,” it’s about choosing to believe God is in control regardless of what happens. It’s resting in the promise of God, not circumstances.

I learned a valuable lesson recently: Never underestimate the determination of children.

It all happened on a rather ordinary day a few weeks ago. I decided to hop in the shower while my kids (ages 4 and 1 1/2) were playing nicely in the next room. When I stepped out of the shower, my 18 month old approached me, fingers outstretched, repeating his newly-learned word “wet.” I thought he must have stuck his fingers in the sink or dribbled water from his sippy cup over them. Boy was I wrong.

Initially I didn’t respond to his “wet” fingers except to praise him for a word well spoken. But upon closer inspection, I suspected something was sorely amiss. In an instant, I put 2 and 2 together, perhaps only as mothers can, and raced into my daughter’s room to find the source of his wet fingers.

There, in the middle of the floor sat a puddle of sparkly brown nailpolish–probably about 5 inches in diameter. This all on the light beige carpet we had installed just one year ago.

I stood speechless (which rarely occurs), trying to decide how I would respond. I had a rather strange mix of emotions. Part of me wanted to scold him for permanently ruining the carpet. The other part of me was genuinely impressed by his determination.

You see, this little stunt of his was quite an operation. Not only did he figure out how to scale the bathroom cabinetry to reach the very top shelf where the fingernail polish is kept (his sister’s stool was instrumental in this), he also had to do it as quietly as possible so as not to tip off his mother who was showering less than two feet away behind a see-through shower curtain (specifically chosen for times such as these).

He then had to get himself and the make-up bag full of nail polish down off the stool and out of earshot of yours truly. He then had to unzip the bag (not always an easy feat for tiny fingers) and unscrew the cap off the nail polish bottle. Once said bottle was open, pouring the contents everywhere was the fun part I suppose.

As far as my response, I think I said something like, “Wow, you found the nail polish!” (OK, so I was in a state of shock.) Because the deed had been done and because I was certain he would be unable to comprehend any sort of scolding about permanent damage, I decided to make this one of those “family memories” to tell his future wife-to-be (in about 35 years)–probably about the same time I show her those cute pictures of him and his bare bottom in the tub.

So I began to think about it and I’ve concluded determination is something we’re born with. I have a hunch it’s all related to God giving us free-will. The question is, about which things will I be determined? How will I channel my time, resources and energy? Hopefully my days of sparkly brown nail polish are long gone.

It happened once at the post office and once in the parking lot of a local strip mall. This time it happened in the candy aisle of the drugstore at 11 pm. I’m talking about seeing the same casual acquaintance in the most random places around town.

Despite not knowing each other well, my overseas experience as a kid and her ministry has led to a common interest: missions. It’s this topic that inevitably comes up when we run into each other.

For the last several years, my friend has single-handedly run a ministry targeting international students in our area, teaching them English, building relationships and sharing the Gospel. It hasn’t been an easy program to keep going. Recruiting people to help her has often been like “pulling teeth.” In particular, she’s had a hard time finding others to train as leaders. But something happened this summer that changed all that: She got cancer and has a 50% chance of survival.

As I listened to her story–how people are getting saved and how she now has not one but four people eager and willing to lead, I was amazed at her faith and her peace about the future. One comment she made has stuck with me. She said something like this: “I didn’t think it would be in my weakness that God would come through so strongly.” And isn’t that they way it is. When we’re open to Him having full control of our lives, we will be amazed at how and when He works.

Obviously my friend doesn’t like having cancer, but it seems clear it has catapulted her to a new level in ministry and God’s grace is sustaining her as she needs. It was so inspiring to see real faith in action. I pray I can have the same attitude…come what may.

Ants. Rock badgers. Locusts. Lizards. They don’t exactly conjure up images of “unusual wisdom.” Unusual? Yes. But wisdom? No.

But Agur thinks so. Who’s Agur? Well, he’s a published author in a bestseller…so he can’t be totally crazy.

OK, he’s the writer of Proverbs 30 and his ants, rock badgers, locusts and lizards make their debuts in verses 25, 26, 27 and 28 (respectively).

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
Ants–they aren’t strong, but they store up food for the winter.
Rock badgers–they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocky cliffs.
Locusts–they have no king, but they march like an army in ranks.
Lizards–they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces.
(Proverbs 30:24-28, NLT)

That Agur. You never know what he’s going to come up with next!

So I started thinking about these small creatures that, according to Agur, are “unusually wise.” Goodness knows I need all the wisdom I can get so I stopped to take notice. Here’s what I figure…

Be like the ants. Plan. Don’t overwhelm yourself thinking about the difficult times that lay ahead but work steadily in preparation.

Be like the rock badgers. Be grounded. Take time and care choosing and establishing a strong foundation, even when it may not be easy to get there.

Be like the locusts. Seek order. Work cooperatively with others to accomplish great things even in the absence of leadership.

Be like the lizards. Risk. Do what it takes to get in the presence of the King, regardless of what you may lose in the process.

Unusual wisdom awaits!