Becoming a “Goodfinder:” All Things Work for Good for Those who Love God. (Romans 8:28)
One of the most encouraging books I ever read is the autobiography of Renée Bondi titled, The Last Dance, but Not the Last Song. At age 29, Renée had a beautiful singing voice and a thriving career as a music teacher. But then an accident shattered her spine and left her quadriplegic. Her life changed forever. Renée lost not only all use of her hands and legs, but also her singing voice — she could barely speak above a whisper. Renée is a woman of faith. She prayed, she exercised, she practiced and she received God’s gifts. Against all odds and all physicians’ prognosis, Renée’s voice was miraculously restored with a crystal clear sound. Today Renée is a national speaker and Christian singer who has given hope and a new perspective the tens of thousands of people.
At the end of her book she summarizes her amazing story pointing to the many, as she calls them, God-incidences that she has experienced in her life. So many people were present at the right time and with the right skills. Renée’s previous experiences as teacher and performer prepared her for what has become her calling now under very difficult circumstances. God is real and God is faithful, Renée Bondi says.
Renée tells her story in a very real way. She does not conceal her desperation, her rebellion and her anger. Yet overall it is clear that by nature, through patient practice and with the help of God’s grace Renée is a “goodfinder,” as John Powell puts it in his excellent volume, Happiness is an Inside Job. A “goodfinder” is a person who looks for and finds what is good in himself or herself, in others and in all situations of life, someone who looks at the upside of things. Looking at our personal situation we often have a choice between pointing out, “My glass is half full” and lamenting, “It is half empty!”
We are faced with a variety of challenges in our own lives, even though we may not have broken our neck as did Renée. However, a lot depends on our attitude, on our outlook. If I decide to be a goodfinder, I look to what is good in me, I set my sight on God’s many gifts to me. I say to myself: “From now on, I am going to be a friend to you. I am going to support and affirm you. I’m going to praise and appreciate you. I’m going to notice the good things in you.” As a goodfinder, I also look at what is good in others, I will go in search of the beauty that perhaps no one else has ever looked long enough or far enough to discover in them. As a goodfinder, I will try to find good in all situations of life. If I do so, I may realize that sometimes our biggest opportunities will come into our life as problems. The Ultimate Goodfinder is God, Who sent His Son into the world, not to judge or condemn it, but to love it into life (cf. John 3:16-17).
Here are some ideas for your reflection and prayer:
1. Journal about yourself, describing your own three best qualities.
2. Journal about another, describing the three best qualities of someone you don’t like.
3. Reframe a recent experience of crisis in your life: Recall the good things you learned from the experience. What did you learn from it? Describe the good results, the profit derived from it.
Renée Bondi puts over her life as a heading what St. Paul wrote to the Romans: “All things work for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). We can follow Renée’s example.
Click here for some of Renee’s music.