Why do bad things happen to good people?
This question has plagued philosophers, theologian and pretty much any person who has had a rational thought since the beginning of time. Therefore, you really should not expect an exhaustive answer in this short snippet of a blog entry...I am not even claiming to know an answer really (even though I am pretty smart if I do say so myself :)).
As I look around the world today, I see so many evil things. Fathers killing defenseless daughters, pregnant women being killed for their babies, school shootings...even as I look closer around me, I see bad things happening to sweet friends of mine.
The question is why do these things happen?
The answer is we may never know for certain.
That is frustrating to me. I want to know all the answers...I want to be in control...I want to be a leader and not a follower...I want to know everything about everything...
As I realize that I will never have all the answers or be in control, it humbles me. It also makes me turn to God's word for answers. Even though I may never know why bad things happen to good people, I know that I can trust that God is sovereign, and has a plan and a purpose for all of our lives.
Jeremiah 29.11-14 "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile."
posted by Kevin Yates @ 2:55 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I should take comfort that Someone much greater is in control, and leave my life alone, but, that's easier said than done at times. Great reminder of an awesome Scripture, Kev.
it is a great scripture...that verse has come up at so many different phases in my life.
one phrase that has been with me since i was younger -- "let go, and let God"
it's a reminder that he's the one in control and i need to allow him to complement my life however he sees fit.
on that same note...i believe that there are times when God allows bad things to happen to us for the purpose of building us stronger in the faith. i suppose the best Biblical example of this is the story of Job. God allowed Satan to challenge his life with tests and trials. my take-home message from that story is simple -- Satan is a chump! :) he unknowingly built Job into a stronger Christian instead of breaking him.
think of our lives as a bar graph that contains each of the fruits of the Spirit (i'm a scientist...i know it's corny....). perhaps God was looking at Job's chart one day and said "you know, Job is doing great in all areas, but he could use a bolstering in faithfulness". so God proceeded to call to Satan--"yo Satan, whatcha doin'??" if you go back to the verses you'll find that God drew Satan's attention to Job, not the other way around. i believe that when situations surround me that seem evil or just plain wrong--that they are, but that they can be used to strengthen an aspect of my life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control).
whew...that was a bit long...sorry for the run-on!!
I think you are dead on Erin. The challenges definitely come to make us stronger in our faith.
in the last year i have come up with a lot of new analogies that exist associated with exercising and healthy living...but the obvious one (overused to a degree but still effective), and one that is actually used in the Bible in a few places about the race.
Running, lifting, swimming, whatever we do for exercise we have to challenge our bodies to a certain level, and then push through that level to get to the next.
The challenges that we face in our lives are like adding the next 10 lbs on the bench press, or running at 7mph on the treadmill instead of 6.5 mph, or swimming 2 miles instead of 1.
all of that stuff hurts when we push ourselves, but ultimately those goals will be easier to obtain too so you add another 10 lbs and so forth...
These challenges make us handle future challenges easier, and add to our spiritual growth.
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