Does this Swimsuit Make My Butt Look Big?

"Does this swimsuit make my butt look big?"

You know I don't think I've ever asked that question when I was at my ideal weight. Only when I know I've gained a few unanswered pounds or skipped one too many workouts will I ask something I already have the answer to. I asked it the other day when I was browsing on my lunch hour. I came out of the dressing room and asked the shop girl (We were the only two in the store) if my thighs were too big to wear what I was trying on. I could tell she wanted to crawl under a rack, but she was honest with me and It was a win, win situation for both of us. She sold me a shirt instead, and I'm not walking around in big butted pants.

Romans 8:38
All things work together for good to them that love God, to them what are called according to his purpose.

It's funny how that little verse doesn't say anything about all things being easy to swallow, or tons o' fun to experience.
I sometimes neglect to recognize "all things" can be used in very constructive ways and "all things" aren't some cosmic conspiracy to make me go off the deep end. I can choose to use "all things"  to improve a situation or to understand a situation better,just like I can choose to go on a diet and shave a few inches off my butt, or just buy bigger pants. It's all about choices and whether I want to walk around in a delusional world wishing things aren't as they are and imagining them the way I want them to be... Or, I can take the facts and develop a plan that turns things from a negative into a positive. Sometimes it seems like turning a negative into a positive is against all odds, but against all odds, God can, does and will do great things. From the ashes of shame and conflict he is able to paint a beautiful picture of love and grace if only we will allow him access to our ashes and trust the brush in his hand. It's time to make a choice.