2 minute read
God Can Use Your Tragedy
from July 2021
Gò0dNews for Everyone
God Can Use Your Tragedy
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by Bill Fortenberry
About fifty years ago, a woman I never met visited her doctor and learned of a life-altering diagnosis— she had breast cancer.
Knowing the difficult road that lay ahead, the woman and her husband—a pastor we will call Jerry—made a difficult decision. Before he had led churches, Jerry had been a teacher. The couple needed medical benefits. Yes, they were trusting God, but that teaching certificate was a ready resource in a time of need. Jerry hung up his pastor hat and took on the role of teacher.
The high school where he was hired was in dire straits. Still adjusting to national school desegregation mandates, the school was violence-filled and lawless. Students did not respect each other or their teachers. Jerry must have felt he had left a pasture of grazing sheep for a den of wolves, but you would never know it. He led his class like he led his church. He prayed every day for his work, his fellow teachers and his students. He started a Bible study where both students and teachers could attend.
Things began to change and the Bible study grew.
Within a year, the violence had subsided. In fact, the two students who had been butting heads and picking fights had even sat together at a school assembly. Teachers and a legion of students came to follow Christ.
One of those students had been kicked out of classrooms left and right. He was a troublemaker, an instigator who had tested the patience of every teacher who had been asked to teach him. He was smart—brilliant really—but life’s hard hand had made him bitter. In a last-ditch effort to help him graduate, he was assigned to the pastor’s class. Before the year was up, the heart of that bitter teenager had softened. It was Jerry who pointed and led him to putting his faith in Jesus.
Fifty years later, that student is still a student of God’s Word. He is a father, grandfather, business owner, Bible study leader, mentor, prayer warrior and encourager. He is the friend who is willing to ask the hard questions—always in love. The Bible study he leads is making a difference across the community. He keeps a list of people and things to pray for, and on his lunch breaks he drives to a quiet place and prays through the list.
In Genesis Chapter 50, Joseph told his brothers what they had meant for evil, God had meant for good. In his letter to the Romans, Paul challenged them to remember that “all things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
If you are in a difficult season, know this: God is at work. He is doing something bigger and more far-reaching than you can imagine. You can cry that it is not fair, or you can trust God. Your decision could make a difference in thousands of lives for generations to come.
About The Author
Bill Fortenberry worked 17 years as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist, and has worked in healthcare communications since 2001. Bill serves as the chairman of the board of managers of Haven Health Clinic for Women and is a men’s ministry leader and small group facilitator at his church, HBC Rome. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children, Ethan and Autumn. A storyteller at heart, Bill writes an occasional blog at kudzudad.blogspot.com.
