Comments on: God Is Good…Really? http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851 My attempt to be an authentic woman in an inauthentic world Wed, 15 Mar 2023 07:22:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Sarah http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851&cpage=1#comment-3470 Sarah Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:56:20 +0000 http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851#comment-3470 Thanks for sharing this story and your doubts and fears and thoughts Amy. Losing a child, for a moment or a lifetime, either in reality or just in your imagination is such a horrifying experience. I don't have anything to add to the comments everyone else has already added, just that I cling to the knowledge that God is Good beyond my understanding of the concept. That he suffers with me even when my hurt and pain are making me more into the person he's created me to be. I stubbornly refuse to let go of the FACT that I KNOW he is good, even when it doesn't feel like it and my life seems to be a picture of everything NOT good. My verse that is inscribed on my heart, my wedding ring, my brain and every fiber of my being is this. The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 Thanks for sharing this story and your doubts and fears and thoughts Amy. Losing a child, for a moment or a lifetime, either in reality or just in your imagination is such a horrifying experience. I don’t have anything to add to the comments everyone else has already added, just that I cling to the knowledge that God is Good beyond my understanding of the concept. That he suffers with me even when my hurt and pain are making me more into the person he’s created me to be. I stubbornly refuse to let go of the FACT that I KNOW he is good, even when it doesn’t feel like it and my life seems to be a picture of everything NOT good.

My verse that is inscribed on my heart, my wedding ring, my brain and every fiber of my being is this.

The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

]]> By: Amy http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851&cpage=1#comment-3402 Amy Mon, 22 Nov 2010 02:30:09 +0000 http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851#comment-3402 David, Thank you for your insight and perspective. I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts, knowing your depth of experience in acknowledging God's goodness far outweighs mine. I think of you and your wife often, and I have been praying for you from a distance. Your words bring encouragement to me. Amy David,
Thank you for your insight and perspective. I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts, knowing your depth of experience in acknowledging God’s goodness far outweighs mine. I think of you and your wife often, and I have been praying for you from a distance. Your words bring encouragement to me.

Amy

]]> By: sister sheri http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851&cpage=1#comment-3394 sister sheri Fri, 12 Nov 2010 05:03:11 +0000 http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851#comment-3394 Isn't it interesting that we might doubt God is good even when a circumstance has not occurred. When it might have occurred, but it didn't. God kept us from experiencing it... and yet we are upset with the what if. Wow! Thanks for sharing this, Amy! Isn’t it interesting that we might doubt God is good even when a circumstance has not occurred. When it might have occurred, but it didn’t. God kept us from experiencing it… and yet we are upset with the what if. Wow! Thanks for sharing this, Amy!

]]> By: David Seruyange http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851&cpage=1#comment-3378 David Seruyange Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:04:20 +0000 http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851#comment-3378 I usually just lurk when I see you've got a new post via Facebook but I wanted to contribute my experience: that God is good in the ineffable way that He was good at the very moment when He commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, when Abraham had the knife raised to kill his son. I definitely don't understand that goodness except that I trust that it's a part of of His full character; the complete picture. Abraham didn't know that God would be sacrificing His own son, actually going through with it in order to provide grace for us all. Abraham had to trust without understanding anything, without any sermons of goodness or happiness. I wish I didn't have to know what it feels like to trust in this way but I have to, believing in a way I can't explain that there's always a larger meaning at stake. What I think isn't emphasized or understood by many is that God is good for His own sake. Our happiness or circumstances are a small part of a larger picture that we often can't see. That is a very hard thing for the parent who has had to survive losing a child and nobody is strong enough to deal with it. For me, and especially for my wife whose life was utterly debilitated, time provided perspective, and the perspective gave us a level of acceptance and the ability to trust in God's larger picture. I'm happy for you and your husband that you found your son, and I'm really glad you recognize it as God's mercy. Thanks for the post - it coincides with my reading <a href="http://newwaystheology.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-do-they-leave-part-ii-message-from.html" rel="nofollow">this post</a> on a different site which talks about why people leave the church. I usually just lurk when I see you’ve got a new post via Facebook but I wanted to contribute my experience: that God is good in the ineffable way that He was good at the very moment when He commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, when Abraham had the knife raised to kill his son. I definitely don’t understand that goodness except that I trust that it’s a part of of His full character; the complete picture. Abraham didn’t know that God would be sacrificing His own son, actually going through with it in order to provide grace for us all. Abraham had to trust without understanding anything, without any sermons of goodness or happiness. I wish I didn’t have to know what it feels like to trust in this way but I have to, believing in a way I can’t explain that there’s always a larger meaning at stake.
What I think isn’t emphasized or understood by many is that God is good for His own sake. Our happiness or circumstances are a small part of a larger picture that we often can’t see. That is a very hard thing for the parent who has had to survive losing a child and nobody is strong enough to deal with it. For me, and especially for my wife whose life was utterly debilitated, time provided perspective, and the perspective gave us a level of acceptance and the ability to trust in God’s larger picture.
I’m happy for you and your husband that you found your son, and I’m really glad you recognize it as God’s mercy.

Thanks for the post – it coincides with my reading this post on a different site which talks about why people leave the church.

]]> By: Patti http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851&cpage=1#comment-3377 Patti Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:32:32 +0000 http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851#comment-3377 I'm so glad to know that I am not the only one who fears that "one big thing" in life that defines my faith. I worry often times that because I DO have faith in God and I DO trust Him and try my best to praise him in the good times and bad, that because of those things He will send some unbearable tragedy my way to really test my faith or worse yet, to make an example of me to others of how to have faith amidst a trial. I am so glad you found Jackson safe and sound. I have lost sight of Emersyn for a maximum of 60 seconds once and nearly had a nervous breakdown, I can't even imagine almost 20 minutes. Thanks for posting; I love hearing your thoughts. :) I’m so glad to know that I am not the only one who fears that “one big thing” in life that defines my faith. I worry often times that because I DO have faith in God and I DO trust Him and try my best to praise him in the good times and bad, that because of those things He will send some unbearable tragedy my way to really test my faith or worse yet, to make an example of me to others of how to have faith amidst a trial. I am so glad you found Jackson safe and sound. I have lost sight of Emersyn for a maximum of 60 seconds once and nearly had a nervous breakdown, I can’t even imagine almost 20 minutes.
Thanks for posting; I love hearing your thoughts. :)

]]> By: Alyson http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851&cpage=1#comment-3375 Alyson Wed, 03 Nov 2010 13:50:46 +0000 http://amyeslater.com/?p=1851#comment-3375 I have pondered this myself so many times. I wonder how I would handle tragedy in my life, like a death of my spouse or child. I've had many conversations with God, telling Him that if I ever had to travel that path, I just might lose it, and honestly, I think I would. It is selfish of me to say that, but sometimes I think that my faith in God would be shattered, yet deep down, I know that He really is good. I know that He would never give me something I couldn't handle, but again, I've told God that THAT is something I could not handle. Yet, I look at people who have made it through those circumstances, and they come out with an amazing story of God's mercy and grace. Thanks for this post, Amy. I love your heart. I have pondered this myself so many times. I wonder how I would handle tragedy in my life, like a death of my spouse or child. I’ve had many conversations with God, telling Him that if I ever had to travel that path, I just might lose it, and honestly, I think I would. It is selfish of me to say that, but sometimes I think that my faith in God would be shattered, yet deep down, I know that He really is good. I know that He would never give me something I couldn’t handle, but again, I’ve told God that THAT is something I could not handle. Yet, I look at people who have made it through those circumstances, and they come out with an amazing story of God’s mercy and grace. Thanks for this post, Amy. I love your heart.

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