So, sin can be a good thing???

God uses all things, even my sin, ultimately for my good.

When I think on this, Matthew 5:3 comes to my mind. I’m especially fond of the way it reads in The Message paraphrase:

You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.

Guess that’s what I can say is the biggest way God has used even my selfish, stupid sins for my own good; my sin and the results have made me realize that I really am nothing. That it’s only through God that my life has value and meaning. It’s only when I’m in connection with Him that the gifts, personality, and talents that He created me to use for His glory flourish.

I could relate to Joyce’s post this week in that I grew up in church and was a total goody two shoes. One of the good things about that is that I stayed out of trouble, one of the bad things is that it can be easy to see others as mess ups. But in my twenties, thirties and even my early forties I had more than enough of my own mess ups. I had this intense need to be loved and valued; unfortunately I looked for the fulfillment of these needs in people. So of course I was never satisfied. It wasn’t until after two failed marriages, and untold heartache that I really begin to learn, on more than a head level, that the love my heart so hungered for, and the value I so earnestly sought after, could only be found in my relationship with God.

So, would I say that my sin was a good thing? No, I can’t exactly say that. But I can say that God in His grace and mercy took something as yucky as my own sin and used it to change me into someone better. Used it to bring me to a place where I desired Him foremost. Used it to bless me.

Isn’t God good?!