"Good Outcome"

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

In the movies the boy always gets the girl, the villain is always defeated, the star always survives, the main character always recovers from a sickness, blindness or gun-shot.  They always end with someone either "riding off into the sunset" or living "happily ever after".  But that is the movies, it is not reality.  Life isn't perfect.  It doesn't always turn out perfect.  People don't always recover.  The boy doesn't always get the girl.  The good guy doesn't always win.  In the "real world" there is pain, heartache, grief, struggle, sadness, etc.     

We try to live life like the movies.  We all want things to go well like in the movies.  We all want to live happily ever after.  We all want life to be perfect.  But that is a fantasy.  We want a good outcome all the time and we think that if it isn't a good outcome then it isn't good.  We think that in order for it to be good, the situation has to turn out good.  God's definition of a "good outcome" is not necessarily the same as man's definition. 

The cross certainly didn't look like it had a good outcome.  It looked like death and defeat.  But it was a "good" outcome.  It was not a place of defeat.  It was a place of victory.  Sin and death were defeated so they could have no more power over us.  It wasn't a place of darkness.  It was in fact a place of light.  The cross was a shining beacon illuminating the path to eternal life.  It was in reality a place of hope, love, victory and life.

You may be facing a situation and praying for a "happily ever after" ending.  Judge the outcome by the Lord's definition and not your own.  He will and does make all things work together for good.  Even if the outcome doesn't look good to you.

Have a great day.  God's definition of a good outcome and ours is not always the same.  But it is good none the less.