Published on 02/16/2007

To me, the most amazing part of our strange daily experiences is the fact that our stories are part of God's story. He is at work, using all that we think, say, and do for his glory.

Commentary

Two unusual items in The New York Times caught my eye this morning. One involves a salmonella outbreak which has sickened almost 300 people across the nation. It has apparently been traced to certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter. Jars with a product code beginning "2111" are the issue. They are produced at a plant in Sylvester, Georgia, but no one knows how salmonella got into peanut butter made there.

This is the first such outbreak stemming from peanut butter. Twenty percent of the ill have been hospitalized, though there have been no deaths. The outbreak began in August, with no more than two cases reported each day. Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting. (Now aren't you glad you read today's essay?) Here's the strange part to me: the manufacturer's stock rose 13 cents yesterday.

The news gets weirder, as the furor surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith continues unabated. A judge in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has ordered that another DNA sample be taken from her body. At issue is the paternity of her newborn daughter, Dannielynn. The former model died on February 8 at the age of 39, collapsing at a Florida hotel. Two men had claimed to be the father of her daughter; the child stands to inherit millions one day.

Kind readers sometimes ask me how I get my ideas each morning. I sometimes reply by quoting the novelist Robertson Davies: I don't get ideas--ideas get me. Or in this case, very strange news stories. If I were to start writing fiction each day, I'd have to go a ways to produce anything more remarkable than the day's headlines.

To me, the most amazing part of our strange daily experiences is the fact that our stories are part of God's story. He is at work, using all that we think, say, and do for his glory. If we will permit him, he will use us for our good as well. He loves every person he has ever made (cf. John 3:16), and is advancing his Kingdom through all that happens in his creation. His holiness requires him to redeem all that he permits or causes.

Sometimes we see his hand in difficult but unintended events such as peanut butter salmonella. Assuming that no one deliberately caused this problem, we can view it as another example of life in this fallen world. And sometimes we see his purpose through our own sinful choices and lives. He is waiting to redeem our suffering today, whether it is our fault or not. But he can give only what we will receive. Why do you need to seek his help and his hope this morning?