Bad Things Happen to Good People

I believe yesterday marked the one billionth time I was asked the question I find most difficult to answer: Why do bad things happen?

To tell you the truth, I wish I knew. I have a lot of thoughts on the topic-a few of which I will share with you now. But, in all honesty, I do not know. No one knows. All we can do is have faith that God is a loving, merciful, generous God who wants nothing but the best for us.

Here Goes.

It all goes back to the "In the beginnings." Remember the whole Adam and Eve story? Well, I find one of the most pressing points of that story to be God giving mankind the freedom to choose. God allows us to make choices. This does not mean that God always likes the choices we make. "Bad things happen to good people." We hear that quote all too often. Good people make bad choices. Joshua 1:5 says: "No one will be able to stand their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you."  God is with us whether we are the ones making the bad choices or suffering repercussions of others' poor choices.

Sometimes in life, we feel as though we have nothing left to hold on to. We feel weak, abandoned, and out of control. Sometimes things happen that we can't do anything about. People get sick. Friendships end. Jobs are terminated. It is in these times we need to remember that God is in full control. I have said it before and I will say it again, when bad things happen-whether we are hurting, angry or sad-it is not because we did something wrong, nor is it because we didn't do enough "right." Bad things happen because we, as human beings, were given the freedom to make our own choices, thus creating sin. People do things to hurt one another, evil does exist, and no, it's not fair. It is okay to be angry, God gets angry too...but remember to forgive. It is okay to be sad, but remember when you cry that God is right there, sad and crying with you.

No matter what happens, remember what we read in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

What does this mean? God will make something good come from every bad situation. We may be blinded by our own pain and anger in the moment, but upon looking back at the incident, even the most painful experiences produce something beautiful.

If you remember nothing else of these ramblings, please remember this: bad things happen to everyone. Sometimes these are big and obvious happenings, other times these are small and unapparent. Regardless of your situation, it is not because you weren't a "good enough" Christian. It is not because you did something wrong. God does not make bad things happen; God takes those bad things and creates alternate routes to fulfill His plan for us-and God's plan is one of glory, love and grace.

God is good. All the time.

Oh, Father Won't You Forgive Me, For I Don't Know What I've Been Doing

I heard a song on the radio the other day that really got me thinking.

The chorus of the song repeated the verse “Oh, Father won’t you forgive them, for they don’t know what they've been doin’”

I found myself immediately questioning how I felt about these lyrics. You see, the line in this song is quoting Jesus. While Jesus was dying on the cross, the very people he was dying for were fighting over his few material possessions. Jesus, who was without sin, asked God to show mercy on these people who didn't understand what was happening...these people who were living, buried in their sins...these people who are you and I.

This might sound abrasive, but who are we to go to God, asking Him to forgive others, when we need just as much (if not more!) forgiveness ourselves? Wouldn't it make more sense to ask God to give us the strength and grace we need to forgive those who have hurt us? Wouldn't we be better off asking God to help us live like Jesus– full of grace, compassion, and forgiveness– even for those who were crucifying him?

In the Lord’s Prayer, we recite the lines:

“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This isn't saying, “Forgive me so that I can forgive others.”

No.

This is saying, “Forgive me BECAUSE I have forgiven others.”

We are reminded to forgive not just seven times, but seventy TIMES seven times. This is Jesus’ way of telling us to constantly and continually forgive– as many times as it takes. If God, through Jesus, will show us the grace and mercy to forgive ALL our sins– yes, even the really, really bad ones...then we should try with all our might to do the same for others.

It might take a day. It might take a week. It might take years. We can ask God for the strength to learn how to forgive. We can ask God to forgive us for our un-forgiveness as we work through the– sometimes very difficult– process.

But I don’t think we should ask God to forgive “them” when we are not without sin ourselves.

We all sin. We all struggle to forgive. We all fall short. None of us know what we are doing. What we do know is God is faithful, and just, and loving, and sent his only son to die for our forgiveness and salvation.

So let us learn to forgive as God forgives. Let us be courageous. Let us love our enemies. And let us always remember that

God is good. All the time.