I love Romans 8:28.
Now, let me be honest…sometimes I don’t.
When I am going through a dark time of loss or disappointment, and someone throws a sloppy coat of Romans 8:28 on my open wound, I just want to scream.
There. I said it.
Paul wrote: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” (Romans 8:28 NIV). But what does “all things” mean? I looked it up in my Greek dictionary and guess what it means—it means “all things.” I was hoping for something a little different.
“All things” includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. In every dark circumstance of life, there is a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered. However, for that to happen, we must get out of the dirt, push it aside, and look beneath the surface.
Is it easy? No.
Is it messy? Usually.
It is worth it? Always.
Let me give you an example.
When my son, Steven, was born, we had no idea we would be raising him as an only child. Years of infertility struggles and the loss of our second child left us with a hollow echo of the heart that we feared would never be filled.
Many years later, I stood at the door of Steven’s bedroom watching this 16-year-old man child sleep. He was a six-foot-long tangle of sheets and limbs. He needed a shave and sported a mass of shaggy thick brown hair. Drool slid down his jaw, and a hairy leg hung off the bed. Loved filled every nook and cranny of my heart till I thought it would burst.
Man, I love this kid, I thought to myself. Then a prayer slipped off my lips.
“Lord,” I prayed, “you know how much I love children, and how I always longed to have a houseful of kids. Why was there just one?”
Then, God’s Word washed over me: For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“Is that You Lord?” I asked.
Again the words flowed. For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The words washed over me like a spring rain on parched ground. It was a moment of sudden glory. For the first time in my life, I truly grasped the height, the depth, and the breadth of those familiar words.
See, I have a one and only son. There are many people whom I love in this world, but there is no one…no one…that I love enough to sacrifice my one and only son. And yet, God loved me so much He did that just. He loved you so much He did just that. He sacrificed His one and only Son in order to save us from the penalty of sin and give us eternal life.
With tears streaming down my cheeks, I thanked God for helping me truly understand John 3:16—for giving me a living, breathing, walking (and sometimes sleeping) example of His great love. And if that was the only purpose behind the years of infertility and loss of a child, then that was enough.
It was Romans 8:28. It was good.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great love for me. Thank You for giving Your Son for me. Open my eyes to see moments of sudden glory where You make Your presence known in my life. I love You so much. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
What is one difficult situation in your life that turned out to have a good lesson. Leave a comment and let’s share.
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Comments 46
Sharon, you are such a wonderful person. Thanks be to God for the awesome wisdom He has given you to share and encourage us weekly. I love reading your messages. May God continue to bless you with the understanding of His Word. Amen
Twenty-six years ago today I gave birth to my son. We were told he had Down Syndrome. There were many tests and a lot of uncertainty about the future. There have been struggles along the way with health, school, etc. But today as I look back I see each day has been a tremendous blessing. God uses him daily to brighten the world for someone. God gave us a precious son and also an amazing daughter who among her many wonderful gifts is his best advocate and supporter. I could write a book about how God has blessed us through these children. Praise His wonderful Name!
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Thank you for this! Many people thinking following Jesus means it’s easier. That is not true. Rather we have a comforter and friend. Thank you for sharing your wisdom this morning and lifting my heavy heart as I question and navigate a balance in my own family dynamic. God has a plan for all of it. Great reminder!
I was blessed with two blind children-a son and then a daughter. They have taught me so much about the Lord. My son is a pastor and my daughter is a leader on the worship team. She has a beautiful voice and my son touches hearts with his preaching. I am so thankful God chose me to be their Mother. All things do work together for God’s good.
Thank you so much for sharing your vulnerable truths. I have felt shame for feeling this way too. Like, my beautiful son somehow was not enough or who am I to feel this way when other women face complete infertility. Over the years I have felt this special blessing of having my one and only as God’s special messenger in my life. I am so grateful for Him sending His son as I cannot imagine the sacrifices yet feel the blessing every day in know it just takes ONE.
This was such needed encouragement in my life right now. As I’m waiting to see the hand of God in my unemployment, I’m comforted to know, that even in this, God is working and it’s for my good because I love Him and I’m called according to His purpose. Put my anxious heart and ease this morning
God used my divorce 3 years ago and all the court stuff afterwards to draw me closer to Him. Before my ex-husband had left, I was depressed and felt alone and even though I believed and Jesus and loved Jesus, I wasn’t following Him. After my husband left me to be a single mom to our 1 year old and 5 month old daughters, I leaned into God because He was all I had. I recommited my life to Him, started going to church on my own, started praying every day and even started studying the Bible. A couple of months ago, while going through my notes and notebooks of prayers/Bible verses because I was once again in a custody battle with my ex husband, I noticed how much God has protected my kids and I through it all. I noticed the notes, verses, and prayers were all about God’s goodness, love and protection; and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by His love for me. I was never alone, I had Jesus through it all.
I have no idea what the future will bring and it seems like my ex husband and his new wife wants to continue to try and make mine and our daughters’ lives miserable by his selfishness and actions, BUT what I do know is this- God will be with me through it all. I can trust in Him because He has always been there.
I, too, lost a son at the age of 25. It was like I was two persons afterwards. The one who needed to be in church to let my faith take over and heal the pain and grief I was feeling and the other person that was angry that God would let such a tragedy happen. It has been 12 years since Nic passed away and even though I miss him with every ounce of my being, I know that I’m filled with so much more compassion for people who are struggling and just need someone to listen. I’d never looked at John 3:16 in this way and it filled my heart this morning.
The miscarriage I had in 1997. It began the journey of healing from depression. He who began a good work in you will complete it!!
When my son had a liver transplant in 2011 and is alive and healthy today with GODS LOVE BLESSINGS.
Praise be to GOD.
Always a blessing and encouragement, thank you!
What a beautiful reminder of my Father’s love and sacrifice for me!
I lost my husband at the age of 61 to pancreatic cancer. From diagnosis to death was on 17 days and he had only felt ill of a month. They were still trying to figure out what was going on with him when the cancer started to invade his stomach and caused internal bleeding that they could never stop. Through this horrendous experience, I’ve grown so close to God and come to depend on Him for every minute of everyday. My trust in Him has grown exponentially as I’ve watched him fight my battles, part waters and take care of problems I didn’t even know I had. I’ve seen him step in as my husband and walk me gently and patiently through the last four years. The anniversary of my husband’s death is tomorrow. While I still feel the sting of the losing him, I know that I am in the the arms of Jesus and they He alone has carried me through and set me on higher ground. Praise be to God!
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I am so sorry for your loss and I am so proud of you for your gain. I pray God will continue to fill the void with renewed purpose and awareness of his love. I will be praying for you tomorrow.
God is such a great comforter, friend and confidante! He has heard my cries, my sadness and my frustrations, but He has been beside me, even when I don’t realize it! My husband of 22 years, passed in March of 2022. I didn’t believe that I could go on living without my soulmate and best friend, but God had a way of filling the void. He is with us not only in our weakest moments but also in our joyous ones. I keep reminding myself to acknowledge and thank Him for all of the good, the bad and ugly. He wants to hear from us as he watches our actions that shows Him that we truly love Him.
I will keep you in my prayers, knowing that God gives comfort when we turn to Him.
Blessings to you all!
I thank God for the verse and for God reminded of who He is through this devotion for today.
My son struggles with low self esteem, anxiety, depression and panic attack because of all the things that happened to our family ( his dad walk away, committed adultery several times)
I always call him my Timothy- my son of encouragement because he used to encouraged me not to give up when he was a little kid.
Through this devotion, God reminded me, to be patience because everything will work together for good to those who love God. God will use all that he is going through to encourage someone , and yes! That is my faith that he still my Timothy. All are not going to waste. To God be the glory.
“When…someone throws a sloppy coat of Romans 8:28 on my open wound, I just want to scream.”
That sentence says so much of what I’ve been experiencing. It’s been a tough time, and I’ve spent hours upon hours in prayer and reading and studying the Word. I plead with God for answers, and over the last week, I’ve had Romans 8:28 popping up consistently.
“That’s no help,” I cried. “It’s not an answer.”
And yet, it must be. He keeps putting it in front of me. I wrestle with the words, the meaning, the promise. I just can’t find the comfort.
Sharon, at least you were blessed enough to have a child. I was not even after infertility treatments and a miscarriage so I am childless…count your blessings always!
That’s some “harsh 😞 words”
We recently lost our daughter, which was devastating. We inherited a baby from this and our adoption was finalized one week ago. We received the blessing of raising her baby as our son. We are left with a big part of our daughter and will raise him up to be a Godly boy. Today’s devotion really hit home for me thank you.
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I’m so thankful you can raise that little boy. What a gift among the tragedy.
I have seen the Divine Hand of God work powerfully through the mental health challenges of myself, loved ones, and friends. Though it has been difficult to experience or watch at times, the Lord has shown me that His strength is made perfect in weakness-2 Corinthians 12:9. Hallelujah!
Wow. I want thank you and our heavenly Father. I needed this. ❤️
God thank you for giving your son so that we can live. Thank you for my one and only son, and two daughters. Thank you for covering and carrying us through the storms of life. 🙏🏾
I highly understand how that feels, my son passed in his sleep 2 years ago.
And the first picture I seen was Jesus holding him.
My thoughts went to God . He gave His Son up for us and I felt what He must have felt only in a tiniest bit because God loved us so much He gave Up His Son to save us all. We give up a only a smidgen of what God did. I love you LORD.
God gave me my husband who I will always love and adore. No one can take his place. My husband is in prison right now, and I miss him so much, however I know God is getting us ready for the next big think that we will be able to do together.
My empty.marriage has taught me so much about what to expect and the correct thing to do being a wife. Since I do not have that privilege to be his wife, I understood the needs to be good person to my children and friends, and hopefully the soulmate God has intented for me in the near future.
Three years ago the Lord healed me from cervical cancer, it was a miracle. Yesterday, I had a visit with my PCP, he said, “your in remission” without thinking I answered, yes. I want to declare that I’m the healed of the Lord. “Not in remission.”
To God be the Glory!🙏🏼
When I am going through a dark time of loss or disappointment, and someone throws a sloppy coat of Romans 8:28 on my open wound, I just want to scream. Boy is this the truth. I’m waiting for the good regarding my one and only son. 🙏
What I got from this is the importance of learning to be at peace with what God has given you.
It is the scripture Romans 8:28 that I have memorized on the top of my left foot, after I felt the touch of the first human again when I was trapped under my car hidden down in a ravine.
Author
wow!
Thank you Sharon for this reminder today! Yes Romans 8:28 is a scripture that I read everyday! I gave my heart to Jesus when I was 13 yrs old, I am now 72.
Through a divorce(age 30) to being a single mom of 3, a son going to prison for 15 yrs(drug addiction)to being a caregiver to a mom with Alzheimer’s for 8 yrs, to being in a second marriage of 11 yrs to a man with a very critical and complaining spirit! ( Did not know that when I married him)The lesson I have learned that God has never left me or forsaken me and has gotten me through each valley. I am secure in knowing that He will restore what the locusts has stolen! God Bless you and your ministry and your weekly messages that I look forward to reading and your encouraging words and prayers! Praying for my sisters in Christ 🙏
Sharon – thank you for sharing your writing talents with the rest of us! Your God inspired words are truly life-changing. I am at a large crossroads and your reading today was somehow so unrelated yet provided the answer and direction needed. Thanks be to God and to you his servant and tool !
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Thank you sweet friend.
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Thank you for being part of my devo family!
Two examples. We, too, loss a son to cancer at age 34… our only son… we still have a daughter and two grandchildren. We have been blessed to be part of a Compassionate Friends chapter. I am co-leader of the chapter. We met another couple who lost a son and for whatever reason have been blessed to form a close relationship. The blessing is our husbands seem to enjoy each other, too. Another example is the rekindling of a long-time friendship after an accident left me with eight broken bones and three months in rehab. This friend and I started meeting on Zoom while I was confined to bed. We picked up where we left off. We were simply busy with raising our active children. We had moved 200 miles away… and back then, there was no email, no internet, no Zoom. Now, we talk every week. I have a Write Your Story group that both of these friends are participating in… now they are friends, too. All three of us have lost sons. We found a special bond because we understand each other’s loss… and find comfort in knowing we don’t have to hide our loss, we can freely speak of our children without judgement or being uncomfortable in each other’s company. A blessing in the middle of our grief.
An unwanted divorce sent me off on a Jesus adventure that’s been bumpy but beneficial to my growth
I lost my only son when he was 18 as a result of a car accident. Every day I cried the entire 30 miles driving to and from work and laid my grief at the feet of Jesus through a barrage of tears. For years I could not accept Marc’s death though I knew that he was a Christian both saved and sealed as a child of God through his faith in Jesus Christ. One morning as I poured out my heart to God instead of asking (again!) why He took my son I had the audacity to say “I understood that you lost your son too but you knew that you would get yours back!” At that moment I heard God’s voice as clearly as if He were sitting in the passenger seat say “Don’t worry, someday soon you will get yours back too.” That day our patient, loving, merciful God reminded me of what I already knew in my heart as only He can and through a renewed flood of tears I finally accepted what I would never understand and said “I know I will probably never get an answer to “why” this side of heaven…. but I trust you.” And from that moment God instilled in my heart the peace that surpasses all understanding just as promised in His word.
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What a beautiful lesson. I have chills. I hope you share it with others who are grieving. I’m going to send this to a friend who lost her son.
I, like your son, was only child. My mom had a miscarriage before me and at least a couple after me. She always wanted a big family and I know she was a little sad about not being able to have more. BUT God knew what the future held. In my case, my momma died at the age of 36 from a stroke. I was 9, almost 10. God knew that my poor daddy would have overwhelmed if he had a house full of kids and no momma to help care for them. God also knew that He was going to bring my stepmother into the picture. She invited us to her church and a few months later I was saved. My momma was a believer so I know that I will see her again one day. God knew that I needed saving sooner rather then later. In hindsight God’s timing and reasoning all makes sense. My dad was able to deal with one child (barely!) and I was saved. Can’t ask for a better “good” than that!
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Isn’t it amazing to look back and see how Gods always has the puzzles pieces all figured out.
Isn’t that just like God?!?! To take the most familiar Bible verse and bring forth new life and understanding❤️. It’s a beautiful example of how God’s Word is alive and active. Sharon, I can only imagine how you felt when you realized God saw you standing in your son’s doorway and spoke to you in such a personal way. He is such Good, Father! Thank you for sharing your very private, yet very beautiful moment you shared with the LORD.
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Thank yo7 sweet friend.
After my stroke, I had to relearn everything—walking, moving, living. It felt like starting over, but I was determined to heal. With faith, support from my husband and family, and the herbal formula from WORLD REHABILITATE CLINIC, I made a natural recovery. Stroke healing starts in the brain through neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself. This formula supported that process, and today, I feel like myself again. Don’t give up. Recovery is possible. There are real, natural options out there. It’s also crucial to learn as much as you can about your diagnosis.( worldrehabilitateclinic. com