Have you ever received bad news? What was your reaction? Did you get overwhelmed with fear and worry? Did you get angry? Well, the other day I received some unexpected bad news. I have had some health issues for the past few months and went and had a simple procedure to make sure there were no major issues. I awoke from the local anesthetic to my doctor informing me that they had found something of concern. I don’t know about you, but my mind immediately began to race in a negative direction. Is that the way it usually is? We think the worse. I know I do. It’s hard to remain positive and look for the good when you don’t have all the information. I left the hospital frightened. What was going to happen to me? To my wife and kids? The next day I awoke thinking yesterday must have been a dream, but it wasn’t. What was I going to do? Let the news of yesterday affect my today? Of course I was! That’s what we do at times with bad news. We don’t know how to process it so we allow it to consume us. As the day progressed, I tried to snap out of my mindset. It was difficult. Too many negative thoughts were racing through my mind. I went to God’s word for God’s perspective on my situation. I began to read aloud Scripture and I asked God to give me the peace and assurance that everything was going to be ok. Will it? I honestly don’t know what the outcome is going to be. I do know one thing though – God is good! No matter what happens to me or my family here on the earth, I choose to believe God is in control and that He knows what He is doing in and with my life. I choose not to allow the bad news to consume me, I choose to believe and declare the good news – that God is altogether good.
