Even before following Messiah in Covenant with YHWH, I knew this verse and repeated it to myself on many sad occasions through my young adult years. Looking back now, I'm still not sure I understand all the insight of "work together for good" in some of those instances, other than to serve as reminders to never "go there again." Some relatively recent comments have taken me back to 2012, and the number of times that year I repeated to myself, Romans 8:28. The year 2012 stands out as one of the most difficult years, if not the most difficult, in my Covenant walk.
"Can We All Be Wrong?" was published in 2011 and it was exciting, but I also knew it would be a game changer. My daughter, with whom I'd always had a very rocky relationship, responded so positively after reading my book, I got my hopes up for awhile, a short while . . . as it wasn't long until I was recognizing the usual serpentine twist to my words . . . Although, it ultimately ended badly, the reality of the situation became crystal clear and the end was simply grieved and put in the past. Much revelation knowledge came through that situation and within a short time, I could truly embrace and appreciate the fact that all the human plans had fallen empty. YaH did not have to protect me from the situation of my own doings, but He did . . . and from what I hear, she is happier than she's ever been. So, although it didn't turn out as I first hoped, another old saying has played over and over in my head as I've moved forward. "Sometimes the only thing worse than not getting what you asked for, is getting exactly what you asked for." But that was just one factor in what was a difficult year.
In my attempt to be self-sustaining I've been raising many of the basic needs, so thought I'd launch into a few specialty items, one of those being, red pepper sauce. I went to a local nursery and bought a four pack of what was supposed to be tabasco pepper bedding plants. As it turned out, they were red, but the shape didn't look like any tabasco pepper I've ever seen, but that didn't deter me from attempting my first jar of pepper sauce. I placed a few in the blender with water, vinegar, and a dash of salt and hit the button. When I removed the lid, my eyes immediately began to water. There was no way this sauce would be good on chicken wings. My son in law recognized the peppers and likes 3 or 4 in his chili. As it turns out, I raised a bumper crop of habanero peppers. In that same summer, we had a drought and a plague of grasshoppers. I noticed there were no grasshoppers on the habanero plants, so the batch in the blender became a pesticide, and I began soaking several in grain alcohol to make an extract, planning to maintain my organic pesticide.
By then I really was feeling like Jonah, knowing the situation mentioned in the second paragraph that was taking place was not G-d's will for this place and my ministry. This community game that we were all playing was not the plan, and I knew it, but I really didn't want to know it . . . Sadly it took a couple more calamities for me to face reality.
At the beginning of the summer, I broke my arm, then did so again and the end of the summer . . . The "pseudo community" had collapsed and dispersed, and I was alone finishing up chores, the second time I broke my arm. it was obviously quite damaged in a number of places, so I gritted my teeth, straightened it as best I could and called the neighbor to help me wrap it. The pain was pretty severe, so I began to contemplate some natural pain killers, besides straight alcohol, when Father led me to do a bit of research on spicy peppers. Within an hour, I had a formula of essential oils with this wonderful pepper tincture, that I applied, every few hours. The relief was amazing.
I'd started a company the end of 2011, but it had basically taken a back burner to the mayhem that ensued in 2012, and as I settled in to actually get the soap business rolling, it became clear it was to go beyond just soap and skin care systems. The years of natural health study was going to be poured into this business and what was helping myself and my family, I would make available to others, via an internet store. Now, nearly four years later, the product I shakily made for myself in the fall of 2012 (that is both definitions of "fall") has become one of the products in greatest demand.
If all that hadn't happened the way it did in 2012, I can't imagine how things would be. The way it all happened, though, opened doors for me to minister to and help hundreds of people who are trying their best to stay out of, or get out of the system. Although 2012 was a rough year, it really did work together for my good, and the good of many who have benefited and will benefit.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love G-d, to
them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
