Take Root & Write

Whatever Is!: "

Beautiful One, many of us have heard the words made famous by Doris Day, "Whatever will be,
will be." Maybe you've spoken them yourself as if to tell yourself to accept things that are out of our control. However, may I suggest that we don't settle in life for such a fate and, instead, focus on what truly determines our outcome? . . that whatever God says IS, will be.

How many times have we encountered hardship and, because we did not deal with it effectively, found ourselves silently succumbing to the lie that we have not control and things won't change? That is very easy to do and, when the battle is long and hard, it takes a toll. One day we find that our faith has been seared, our trust is gone, and we cannot
imagine things being any different then our circumstances dictate.

Beautiful One, may I encourage you with this: Hard times, long battles and, yes, even doubt and fear have a purpose.
When we are spiritually and emotionally empty and have nothing left inside, that is when God does some of his best work. Sometimes in order for us to truly live, we have to die to everything we have known or experienced up to that point.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of Joseph (starting in Genesis 37). God bestowed something special on him from the very beginning. Some Bible scholars say Joseph was arrogant and showed off to his brothers. He loved parading around in a coat of many colors that his father, Jacob, presented only to him and not to any other of Joseph's siblings. At such a young age, it isn't too surprising that Joseph did not handle the special gift in a gracious manner.

But, what is surprising, is that the brothers who were supposed to have his back are the very ones who stabbed it! Joseph's jealous siblings threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery, lied about his fate to Jacob, and then acted as if nothing had happened. When reading what Joseph went through, one wonders why, if God had given him a gift and purpose, did this young man have to experience such injustice? Joseph was taken to Egypt, and suffered for years and ended up in prison despite being an innocent man.

Do you ever wonder what was said during Joseph's conversations with God went during those dark days? I wonder if Joseph attributed his life to the whims of 'whatever will be, will be', or if he relied on what was? It's one thing to have faith when you are wrapped in your coat of many
colors on and life is grand, but real faith comes when you are
sitting alone in the darkness questioning everything you believe in.


Sitting behind bars for thirteen years he knew that God loved him, but he probably wondered why he was unjustly imprisoned. Joseph had plenty of time to ponder the betrayal of his brothers and his dreary existence.How hard that must have been. No matter how much we want to glorify the people in the Bible, they were not super human. they were just like you and me.

There comes a point in our lives when we just accept the premise of whatever will be, will be. Sometimes that is all we can do to reconcile difficult times. It sounds good at the time because it helps us cope for the moment. But thank God, we are loved by
a God who just wont settle on our behalf and who offers us more than a quick and temporary fix'.

Joseph was given a dream, and by our great God, it was going to come to pass!

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and no matter how many of them are hard and painful, just as in Josephs case, God will use every single one of them for something good.

Most of us know how Joseph's story ends. But, do we really know his story? Who would've thought that the moment Joe's brothers threw him in that pit, that they actually tossed him into his destiny? Who would've thought that after Portiphar's wife lied about him and he got thrown into a prison cell, that he was actually being catapulted into the presence of royalty? Who would've thought that being buried underground for years in darkness, that in one day, God would bring him up and out, and shine the spotlight on him?

It's no wonder that when Joseph was seated next to the king, and came face to face with his offenders, that he forgave them. Because when we know that all that we've been through had a purpose, and that God is with us, no matter what happened to us along our way, we like Joseph can let go of all that has kept us bound. Only when we know that God will repay us, can we stop making others pay.

God came through for Joesph, and surely, He will do it for us too. When times of darkness fall upon us, God is there to remind us that whatever He said will be, IS!

Beautiful One, just believe in whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Because this will get you through to the other side. (Philippians 4:8 NASB)

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