One of my favorite Old Testament stories carries a good lesson for us today. It’s found in the book of 2 Kings, chapter 4. In the story, the prophet Elisha is a frequent guest at the home of a certain Shunammite man and woman, and to repay them for their kindness, he tells the childless couple that God will give them a son.
One day the son goes out into the fields with his father, where he falls ill. The father instructs his farm hands to carry the boy back home to his mother. The boy doesn’t recover, but dies in his mother’s arms.
The woman goes out looking for Elisha so he can raise her son up. Her husband asks her where she’s going, and she tells him, “All is well.” Elisha sees the woman in the distance and sends his servant to meet her. The servant asks the woman what’s wrong, but all the woman says is, “All is well.”
It’s only when she reaches the prophet, the only one who can help her, that the woman gives voice to her misery. Elisha accompanies her back home, and subsequently brings the boy back to life.
The moral of the story, as I understand it, is that no matter how bad the circumstances, it’s necessary to maintain a good report. How many of us have had something go wrong, and instead of looking for the bright side while we strive to correct the situation, we gripe and moan and complain? The Master, Jesus, taught that we speak out of the abundance of our hearts. (Luke 6:45). Several times when people came to Jesus looking for relief, he told them that it was their faith that healed them, that it was done unto them as they believed.
So the question then is, how do I change my pessimism to optimism? How can I see the bright side until the miracle comes through? In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul says, “Whatever is true and honest, just and pure, lovely and of good report, think about those things.” Good is all around you. It isn’t hard to find. All it takes is a willingness to look for it, and then to keep it in mind, instead of all the negativity you could be filling yourself with. Then, when life throws you a curve ball, you can truly say like the Shunammite woman, “It is well.” It is, you know. It is well, regardless of what it looks like.
Much love and many blessings,
Rev. Jeff
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Rev. Jeff Radcliff 