One of the songs I’ve been enjoying recently is These Are the Days by Christian artist Lauren Daigle. A line repeated throughout the song has stayed with me: “If it’s not good, then it’s not over.” It echoes the truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Because God works all things together for good, His people can take heart. When life feels painful, confusing, or broken, God’s people can trust that God is not finished. It will not be over until He brings about His good purposes.

For myself, and I think most of us, we need this reminder often. We live in a sin-stained world marked by suffering (abuse, illness, job loss, broken relationships, and death). Jesus’ earliest followers needed the same reminder when they watched Him die on the cross. In that moment, nothing about His death looked good. They could not yet see that Jesus was taking the punishment for sin upon Himself.

But it wasn’t over.

When Jesus rose from the grave on the day we celebrate as Easter, He showed His followers that death is not the end. For God’s people, death is a doorway to eternal life with Him. Death may feel final, but it is not the good ending God has promised. Just as Jesus was raised, all who trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins will be raised to eternal life in God’s perfect Kingdom.

This is the hope our ministry points people toward. Many of our homeless friends come to us carrying deep wounds—abuse, tragic loss, addiction, shame, guilt, and years of feeling like life will never get better. Their stories, up to the moment they walk through our doors, often do not feel good.

But we share the same message Lauren Daigle sings: If it’s not good, it’s not over. There is new life available now, and eternal life to come, but only through a relationship with Jesus. We never promise the journey will be easy, in fact, it rarely is, but God can use all things for good.

This Easter, we invite you to join us in thanking God for the incredible gift of His Son. Jesus not only took the punishment for our sin; He also secured the hope of resurrection, eternal life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Because of Him, pain and death do not have the final word.

Yes, death is not good. But praise God, death is not over. That is our hope this Easter. Join me in thanking God for that truth and know that He truly will work out all things for good for those who love Him.

Happy Easter!

Chris D. Croswhite
Executive Director