A very good friend of mine found out a few days ago that his job was being phased out and his services would no longer be needed. Now, this man is not an old man. He had been in this position for 11 years, since he was quite a young man and assumed that he would be in this same position many years hence. Did I mention this job was, in its own way, a very real position in ministry. He is married and has a 2 year old child. Now, in today's economic climate, these stories come a dime a dozen. I've been there and many of you have also been there. Hold up, I haven't gotten to the point yet. The point is Romans 8:28. You know it; _"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"_. Of course the import to this verse is that no matter what we are going through, God will work it out for his children. That's a given. No one I know in the faith disputes that. The catch is that this "working out" is a process, it takes time and, as I was taught in counseling school "in the meantime, while God is working out, it can turn into a really MEAN time'. There is a lot to wade through. Let's see, we have anger, worry, anxiety, uh help me out here, disillusionment, disappointment in the situation and in yourself. The list is longer, but you get what I'm saying. When bad things come upon us our humanity responds just exactly like humanity responds - with all these emotions and questions. All right, I'm ready for the point - and I bet you are too. He came to me not because he was afraid that Romans 8:28 would not apply to this situation in his life. He is dead certain that it does and in due season God will always do what He says He will do - He will take our life's situations, though they be negative, do His thing, and turn them into something that is positive in our live. My friend has that much wired - God's gonna' do what He says - Duh! He came to me because he new I would allow him to talk about the MEAN time that it takes to get through the meantime. He was afraid that if he showed hurt or anger or worry around his church friends, those who look up to him and his position, he was afraid that they would turn him away and see him less a Christian or even worse, he was afraid of being given one of those pat churchy answers that make the person giving it feel spiritual and makes the one receiving feel like throwing something (in love of course. He felt isolated from the very ones that are intended to be a source of solace in a time of hurt. We talked, or actually he talked and I listened. He went through his feelings and expressed them in a most articulate manner, some he expressed a bit louder than others but still he covered them all. When he finished, I put my hand on his shoulder and asked him if he was alright? He said he was fine, thanked me for listening and we went back to work. Simple as that. Now, to the moral. I have no doubt in my mind that this guy will be fine, his family will be fine and more than anything else I know his faith is fine. He just needed someone he trusted to process a little instead of being one those who thinks a show of humanity on the part of a Christian some how diminishes their faith and even what God will do in their lives. God is a pretty tough customer. He's not afraid of your emotions, feelings, reactions and all that human stuff. Guess what? He made all that human stuff - its His stuff to start with. Stuff is gonna happen to you - trust me. And when it does, God has already set in motion all the wheels that need to turn to make it come out a blessing on the other side. But, in the meantime, that can be such a MEAN time, find someone you trust and go through it, one by one. If your friend is wise, he won't try to give you solutions or quick fixes or even religious platitudes, he'll just listen, pat you on the back and send you on your way knowing full well that your God, the God of the Universe, has already taken care of it all, down the road, when the MEAN time becomes a SWEET time, a Romans 8:28 time will happen - Praise God!