By Deborah H.In the course of my work as a hospice nurse, I met some great people. A few years ago, I was privileged to meet a lady named Sue and her family. Sue’s father was one of my favorite patients. Sue and her husband asked her parents to move in with them so they could care for her dad as his lung cancer continued to take its toll.
There were difficulties, but Sue remained unflappable -- always patient, calm, thoughtful and kind, content to remain in the background. One day when she walked me to my car, I could see the strain and sorrow in her face. Her dad’s death was looming nearer and there were tensions in some of the relationships in the home. Yet, Sue never complained.
Seeking a way to encourage her, I said, “You’re doing an excellent job, Sue. I’m proud of the way you’re caring for your dad and keeping your cool as things get tougher.” She slowly shook her head. “It’s not me.” With tears misting her clear blue eyes, she told me simply, “It’s a God thing, Deborah.” That simple statement served to encourage me, instead.
It was the first time I’d heard that expression. Since then, it has become one of my favorites. It has a way of encompassing so many ideas and concepts. I find it repeatedly useful in my conversations.
What is a “God thing”? I’ve never heard it defined. But to me, a God thing is any situation or concept which is inexplicable except through the lens of God’s total sovereignty. It could manifest itself as an empowering energy behind extraordinary composure or strength (as in Sue’s case), or in a situation of the indisputable evidence of God’s handiwork. It’s true that everything in our lives is brought about by His sovereignty. In that sense, everything is “a God thing.” But we don’t always see His hand in all things. So when I see Him at work in my life, or the lives of others, I sometimes exclaim, “That’s definitely a God thing.”
Some may perceive this little phrase as trite or irreverent. That’s not how I mean it. I’m certain that’s not how Sue meant it. Instead, it’s short-hand for saying, “Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways. . . . For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen,” (Romans 11:33,36).
That doxology speaks to the wonder and marvel God is. It speaks of His wisdom, majesty and power. It acknowledges His sovereignty in all things. It attributes all acts of goodness and loveliness to Him. It gives Him credit for any circumstance He brings into our lives. It praises His holy Name.
There’s nothing irreverent about saying, “It’s a God thing!” And there are plenty of times when, instead of reciting the whole doxology, I can exclaim this tiny phrase to express my awe.
In her quiet, soft-spoken, unassuming way, Sue attributed her extraordinary composure, peace, kindness and compassion to the Father in four simple words -- “It’s a God thing.”
Once we truly comprehend the truth that “all things” belong to the Lord, it seems we can see His hand in every aspect of our lives. It is through Him that any good comes from us [“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them,” Ephesians 2:10].
It is through Him that our lives are ordered according to His master plan and design [“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28]. Nothing that happens to us is beyond His sovereign control [“And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. . . . and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being,’” Acts 17:25-28].
That may be a mouthful for some—a little too involved for every conversation. But when confronted with God’s empowerment, His intervention, His blessing, the wonder of His created world, even with the trials and sorrows He brings our way, it is sometimes fitting to simply say, in gratitude and amazement, “It‘s a God thing!”
