When bad things happen, look for the cross.

Good and bad things happen in life and here is a recent example. My husband’s goal is to have his own place in the country, so three years ago he purchased thirteen acres of tree-covered land with a dilapidated building. He was like a kid having his own project and it didn’t take long to clear off an area around the pond. He felt great about it.

The next year a wild fire swept through the area, threatening to reach houses nearby. We lost at least a hundred trees in the fire. Bad news.

Local firemen stopped the runaway fire at the pond that had recently been cleared, keeping it away from the housing addition. God’s protective plan? The old broken-down building on the property burned to the ground. Ah, good news.

Then we had an ice storm and the accumulated ice weight caused more trees to fall. A drought followed and we lost more. Bad news? It seemed like bad luck until we realized the trees were cedar, weakened by the ice and drought. Trees fell that needed to fall and he would not have to chop them down. Good.

An abandoned well was found by the former building. Good. It was filled with bricks. Bad. The bricks could be withdrawn. Good. After a pump was installed, the water was fresh and clear. Even better.

Do you see a pattern? Good. Bad. Good. Bad.

My hubby decided to build a barn on the property. Not hire it done but build it himself. I’m not sure about the good or bad of that, but he planned for months, discussed it with experienced builders and researched it on the internet. It would be two stories with a small apartment upstairs. A barndominium, he said.

Things went as normal. Good one day, bad the next. Good. Bad. Up. Down.

The week came for the barn raisin’. The concrete slab was poured long before. Wood delivered. Heavy pre-made trusses brought in. Family and friends to help. The first floor went in great. Strong and steady. Good. A crane came to lift the heavy trusses to the second floor where two men on top nailed them in. Hard, heavy work but still going great.

The wind picked up in the mid afternoon. Not good. They were almost finished with the second floor. Four more trusses to go before completion. Good. A strong, Oklahoma gust of wind whipped through. I watched the last truss in place wobble. Then the truss beside it wobbled. Then twenty something trusses tumbled in slow motion like dominoes, one after the other, breaking as they fell. Now that was definitely not good.

I looked up from my vantage point and noted where the men stood. One was missing. Not good. I ran to the side and saw our son-in-law leaning over. As he fell, he had been hit on the head with a heavy truss and his arm caught in the crushing weight. He was nauseous. I rushed him to the emergency room. God what are you doing? This is definitely not good.

I forgot to mention that we prayed through all of this. Prayed for God to protect, guide and lead us. Of course, I was praying as my son-in-law’s arm and head were x-rayed. No concussion. His arm was not broken. That’s good. Thank you, God.

All I can say is that it’s possible his arm caught his fall. A roof caving in can do serious to fatal damage to a man. The crane attached to the last truss held. It hit the bucket and slightly changed the angle of the falling wood. Could he have been more damaged? Yes. Could they have done something different? Maybe. Could God have been there helping? Yes. Could it have been worse? Oh, yes.

Good and bad will happen to everyone in this world and some days are roller coaster rides. Up and down. The question is, “How will we respond?” We can’t let the bad times color our view of the future because we don’t know the future. Only God knows. Look for Him in every situation.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 RSV states, “When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember that God gives us good times and hard times. And no one knows what will happen in the future.”