Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He has called each of us to a specific purpose. Sometimes it’s hard to decipher what we think is good versus how He is working things together for our good. God’s good for us will always outweigh our good for us.
It was a cold winter day as I sat at my father’s bedside having a heartfelt conversation. He was dying of cancer at the age of 52. I was in college and was not raised in a Christian home. My dad had received Christ just a few years prior after attending a Promise Keepers march in Washington, D.C. He asked me to grab his Bible off the windowsill, and he turned directly to Romans 8:28. He read it out loud to me and then shared with me that even though things didn’t seem good at the time, he promised that good was going to come from this unfathomable situation.
Through his death, I found life. New life in Christ. I had to leave the “old me” behind and begin to unpack what it looked like to be a Christ follower. I went from “hood to good” — God’s good for me. I met my husband at my dad’s church and began a faith-filled journey, one with many twists and turns.
My dad left a note behind stating that he hoped he had made an impact for Jesus during his time on earth. He hoped that he had done justice in sharing the Gospel and leading people to Christ. Just as a farmer plants seeds and waits for the harvest, we may never know the full breadth of the impact we can make on generations to come when we walk in obedience with Jesus. On this side of Heaven, my dad didn’t realize that reading that verse to me that day was life-changing. It had generational impacts, as those generational curses were broken. I have now been able to step into those purposes that Jesus already had for me and raise up three daughters to know and serve the Lord.
If Jesus can take this poor little girl from the hood and rescue me from some dark things and put His light in me to shine so brightly for Him, then He can do it for any of you. He uses the least of these. I would never have dreamed of being a professor, but He has worked all things together for the good and has called me according to His purposes. I am grateful for open doors and grateful for closed doors. It’s part of His plan. I went to school with hopes of being a news anchor. That didn’t happen. Instead, I ended up in banking and climbing the corporate ladder, learning about what it takes to be a faith-filled woman in business while thriving in a secular environment. I grieved when that door was closed after 10 years, but the Lord had Christian radio and ministry for me next. All part of His plan. His plans for good were way better than mine.
When we prayed about an open door and professor opportunity here at Liberty, we knew we would be leaving comfort, familiarity, family, friends and more. But Jesus doesn’t call us to be comfortable or complacent. As I was driving in Delaware and praying one day about the decision to move to Lynchburg and join the Liberty family, a car in front of me tapped the brakes and there was a Liberty sticker. Prayer is such an integral part of our lives, being in tune with the Holy Spirit, bringing everything before Him, both big and small. Our founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, often said, “Nothing of eternal significance ever happens apart from prayer.” I want to encourage you today with these thoughts:
- Our lives here are but a blink of an eye compared with eternity — are you making eternal impacts?
- Let’s continue planting Gospel seeds everywhere we go and pray for the harvest, even if it’s years later.
- Trust that His plans for our good are always better than our own plans for what we believe is our good.
- Let’s live with open hands and open hearts, trusting that Jesus is working all things together for our good as we love Him and others well.
Kristin Boyce is an assistant professor in the School of Business, where she teaches courses in business management, ethics, and nonprofit sectors. She is the director of Liberty’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the faculty advisor for the Women in Business Club. During her career, she has held leadership roles in banking, donor development, and Christian radio, where she worked with many top Christian artists. She also serves as a guest speaker at women’s retreats and events. She moved to the area in 2021 with her husband and three daughters, two of whom are current Liberty students.
