God is Good. So are You

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Reflections

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Posted On January 24, 2020

Sam was drinking again. Heavily. My stomach churned as I texted with him.

Me: Where are you?
Sam: In a motel.
Me: Which motel?
Sam: Who cares?
Me: I care, Sam. Where are you?

Silence.

Me: Sam?
Sam: I’m so ashamed.
Me: You’ll be okay. Where are you?
Sam: Look, man, I got to do this.
Me: Do what?
Sam: Let the whiskey take me.

Chills ran down my spine. I understood his meaning. He wanted to die.

Me: Sam, God is good and so are you.

Silence.

I didn’t hear from Sam for several days. I prayed for him, looked for him, but couldn’t find him. Maybe he didn’t want to be found. Maybe he’d accomplished his plan.

Then one day, I got a text from him. “Will you take me to the detox center? God is good and so are you. God is good and so am I.”

My heart leaped. Sam was alive! And he had claimed the Truth about himself and God. He was on the path of recovery.

This time he made it. He reached out. He broke free from the false belief he was bad.

So many of us walk around with that negative view of ourselves. It comes in different shapes and sizes. It packages itself in various words and phrases. But it has the same theme: I am bad. I am broken. There’s something wrong with me that needs fixing.

But it’s not true. It’s a lie.

Like Sam discovered, God made us all in his Divine Image. We are Divine Love made real.

God dwells in us as us.

We just need to discover that truth. We need to dig deep within our souls to let go of all the falsehoods we’ve told ourselves to find at the core of our Being who we are.

Maybe our stories aren’t as dramatic as Sam’s. Maybe we’ve never holed up in a flea-infested motel trying to drink ourselves to death. But, I—like so many others—have told myself repeatedly the same lies that dragged Sam into that prison of despair: “I’m bad. I’m not good enough.”

But it’s not true.

This is the Truth:

God is good and so am I. God is good and so are you.

—brian j plachta
brianplachta.net

Written by Brian J. Plachta

Following the Breadcrumbs God Leaves Along Our Path

What if God is speaking through ordinary moments more often than we realize?

A conversation that stays with us. A door that closes. A quiet nudge we can’t quite explain. An unexpected invitation that seems to come at just the right time.

The challenge is learning to notice these moments before we have any idea where they’re leading, and trusting the next step.

Over time, we may begin to see that God’s guidance doesn’t always come as an answer. Sometimes, it comes as a trail.

What to Do When God Seems Silent

Has silence ever made you feel like God is far away? When we feel this way, it’s easy to start looking for answers or waiting for a clear sign. But prayer can also be as simple as slowing down and noticing what’s already here. The breeze. The waves. Your breath. The quiet. God’s presence doesn’t always come through words. Sometimes we just need to be still enough to notice.

Let God Alone Define You

Ever have someone’s words get stuck in your head?
Maybe they criticized you, misunderstood you, or told a story about you that doesn’t feel true. And before long, you’re holding a courtroom in your mind—defending yourself, replaying the conversation, wondering if maybe they’re right.

There’s another way.

Bring it into the quiet with God.

Ask: Is there something here I need to learn? Is there something I need to own? And what was never mine to carry in the first place?

We can stay humble enough to receive the truth without letting someone else’s opinion become our identity.

Because in the end, God alone defines you.

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