Surprised by Goodness

I've been meditating lately on how God brings good out of evil -- and not just one, single sort of goodness (ie: moral), but usually a variety of goodnesses, ranging from the simple to the humorously ironic to the deep and weighty and lasting variety. Can I say that He seems to allow evil in order to have the opportunity to create more and different kinds of goodness?

For example, bitter cold seems to have been (in some ways, bear with my theological opinions here) the result of the Fall. But out of bitter cold, He brings a goodness as specialized as the mere simple action of coming from cold into warmth, which is about the most delicious of feelings, one I suspect Adam and Eve in Eden never knew.

And after days of bitter cold and chill, numb fingers and chilled feet, our pond finally and thoroughly froze to my husband's satisfaction. So on the weekend, he took our kids sledding on it -- or more properly, sliding.

Some trials are worth going through.