God Loves Scrambled Eggs
Romans 8:28 –
‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.’
“We need a theology which teaches us that even though we cannot unscramble an egg, God’s grace lets us live happily and with renewed innocence far beyond any egg we may have scrambled.” (Ronald Rolheiser*)
I love this analogy. I’m quite the fan of an omelette. As you look at the mixing bowl of your life, I'm sure there’s situations you wish could change. You want God to get his great cosmic whisk and start stirring in an anticlockwise direction and, as he turns back time, the yoke would reform unbroken and whole. But God loves scrambled-egg people! Remember Joseph of the many-coloured coat? He was pretty scrambled! He messed up family relations. He lived his life with the world against him: his brothers faked his death and sold him into slavery. In Egypt some false accusations of sexual misconduct land him in prison. Even after all this he says to his brothers:
‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.’ (Gen 50:20)
The apostle Paul says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
God can whisk every situation together so that there’s a good outcome. Not necessarily the one you wanted, but always a good one. There is no disappointment, set back, breakup, disaster that throws God off-course. If our hearts are open and responsive, we will not miss what he is doing. His purposes will always come to fruition.
If your world isn't as you'd like right now, stop trying to unscramble the egg. God knows your pain, he wants to wrestle and have a robust conversation about it. Surrender it to God and remind yourself of these truths: His love for you has not waivered. His purpose remains.
Prayer – I trust you Father, I surrender myself to your leading and believe you are working for good.
*Forgotten among the Lilies: learning to love beyond our fears (1990)