Nebraska, the good life!

Did you know that Nebraska was ranked as the happiest state? Check it out. And I would have to vouch for this, unbiased of course:)

Sometimes we say, "God is good." I wonder if we mean, "My life is going the way I want it to."

Fair enough, but why blame God for that:) Is it really God's fault, that I am getting what I want? Can I say, "God is good", when my life isn't going the way I want it to? Do I recognize that goodness is God's character? God can't be bad. God's work in our world and in our lives is for goodness, not happiness nor freedom from problems.

Recently, I read an excerpt from Julian of Norwich. She actually prayed for a bodily sickness that would come so close to death that she would expect to wake up in Jesus' presence in Heaven! Her reason was so that through her experience she would be drawn into a deep understanding of the goodness of God. She got what she prayed for. This helped her to see the goodness of God, even in "lesser" things like discipline, obedience, and suffering.

Oh, that we would desire to know the goodness of God, rather than just live "the good life".