There was a particular look in her eyes, a warmth of expression, a glow of deep and abiding contentment, a simple and plain elegance in an unexpected place. That’s what I remember about her.
That, and one simple statement.
We were on the island of St. Maarten with the North Texas Singers and we had just presented a concert in a nursing home. Our group of 45 had crowded into a small meeting room with as many residents as the staff could wheel in. It was hot in that room!
Many of the residents wore the same expressions that you would find in any nursing home anywhere. But she was different.
After we sang, we tried to interact as much as possible with the residents as we moved toward the exit and our awaiting bus. I didn’t get to have a conversation with her, but Mrs. Sweetie did. She reported later that this lady had been a resident of that facility for some time and was grateful to be in a wonderful place with actual windows and doors. That had not always been her experience.
And then she said it – the statement that neither of us will ever forget.
“What God has did, He done good. And I am happy with what He did.”
In a world where many people spend their lives with a sense of discontent and disappointment, focusing on what they don’t have, feeling robbed and cheated by life and by those who have more, that statement may be the secret to really believing that our lives matter to God.
“What God has did, He done good. And I am happy with what He did.”
In a well known passage of Scripture, the Apostle Paul said, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)
You may not be as familiar with the first part of that. Oftentimes, the focus is on verse 13, “I can do all things …” and the implication is that I can accomplish anything with the help of Christ. I’ve got the power!
But that’s not what the verse means in context. I do have the power, but what I have the power to do is live a life of contentment – a contentment that is not dependent on circumstances. I can look at my life and say, with confidence, “What God has did, He done good. And I am happy with what He did.”
An old hymn says, “When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed; When you are discouraged thinking all is lost; Count your many blessings, name them one by one; And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
I’m thinking that today, in the midst of all the craziness in the world, is a good day to count some blessings.
“What God has did, He done good.”
