“And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people will know my name;
    therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
    Yes, it is I.”

‘It is only in retrospect that I can connect the dots on the timeline of life and begin to see my sacred history from God’s perspective – as God’s story of me.’ Henri Nouwen.

There are things that happen to us we would not choose. We didn’t want them to occur, and probably wouldn’t want them to come near us again. But, looking back, we know that in those times we came closer to God. We felt we were drawn into a deeper relationship with Him, and we learned to trust Him more. They were, maybe ‘the worst of times’ and ‘the best of times.’

We cannot truly say that nothing bad will ever happen to God’s people, but we can affirm that ”in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom.8:28).

One day, I believe, we will be able to see how ‘the dots’ join.