Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Daily Devotional
Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. ?2 Kings 5:15
When I rear-ended a truck with my nearly new car, positive thoughts did not immediately come to mind. I was thinking primarily of the cost, the inconvenience, and the injury to my ego. But I did find some hope in this thought, which I often share with other writers: ?In every bad experience, there?s a good illustration.?
Finding the good can be a challenge, but Scripture confirms that God uses bad circumstances for good purposes.
In 2 Kings 5, we find two people who had bad things happen to them. First is a young girl from Israel who was taken captive by the Syrian army. Second is Naaman, the commander of the army, who had leprosy. Even though the girl had good reason to desire bad things for her captors, she offered help instead. Israel?s prophet Elisha, she said, could heal Naaman. Eager to be cured, Naaman went to Israel. However, he was reluctant to follow Elisha?s humiliating directions. When he finally did, he was healed, which caused him to proclaim that Israel?s God is the only God (v.15).
God used two bad things?a kidnapping and a deadly disease?to change Israel?s enemy into a friend. Even when we don?t know why something bad has happened, we know that God has the power to use it for good. ? Julie Ackerman Link
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bad may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower. ?Cowper
God is the master of turning burdens into blessings.