All things?

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

This verse is stuck in my head. Like an old LP that keeps skipping and playing the same few notes over and over, this verse is on repeat in my little brain. I have heard this passage a hundred times, and usually it is quoted in the context of some disaster or tragedy that we cannot explain.

I have been thinking about this verse on a personal level. It is easy for me to apply Scripture to other people's lives, but when it becomes personally applicable, the results can be shockinng. The word "all" is the hardest word in the whole verse for me. All things? Really?

Things that must therefore be working for good:
-Dishonest business people
-Mouthy children
-Migraine headaches
-Rapidly declining retirement account balances
-The rotting wood on my backdoor frame
-The Check Engine light in my car

This is just a short list, but they must be working together, under God's sovereign gaze, for my good. There has to be a plan for my spiritual formation, for my sanctification buried in the intertwining events of my life. And it also means that nothing is random. There is nothing that happens to me that is without purpose---even migraines.

Or all isn’t all.