Last week, I tried to wrestle with the question of why bad things happen to good people. I said part of the answer is that we don't have the perspective that God has. He can see things that we can't, and what hurts today might be the one thing that helps us survive tomorrow. Thanks to those who commented; you gave me a broader perspective on the topic.
The second reason I came across of why good people so often meet tragedy is the fact that this is world is messed up. None of what we're experiencing right now is what we were designed for. Sickness, disease, death, natural disaster, war---none of these were in the schematics when God designed us and the world we would live in. In His foreknowledge, He knew that we would sin and leave Him, and in His grace, He decided to create us anyway. But we weren't meant to be where we are now, living an average of 75 years on this earth, forced to watch people suffer and die.
The worst part of it all is that it's our fault. God is not the one who causes death to happen; death happens because we sin and bring death on the world. Sickness and disease exist because God's standard has been fallen short of. This world is at unrest, flinging its hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes and tsunamis about because what it was designed for is not happening.
That's a bitter pill to swallow, especially things that occur out of our control. But it's the truth. We grow old, get sick, and die, because of the sin in our hearts. My first inclination is to shake my fist at God and demand, "Why?" But the sad truth is, if He took the time to give me an answer, He would say something similar to what Paul said to the church in Rome. "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:28-32).
It isn't God who sends storms to ravage homes, it's sin. It isn't God who creates cancer to kill, it's sin. And it isn't God who brings death that pains us so much; it's sin. He has to punish sin; otherwise He would no longer be God. So if we really must point fingers at someone to blame hardship and heartache on, then we should point to ourselves.
This is why the grace of God is so important. Because despite the fact that sin has all but robbed us of our natural life, Jesus Christ provides us a way to save our spiritual life. We may experience death on Earth, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we can experience life the likes of which we can never imagine.
This reason isn't nearly as encouraging or comforting as last week's or next week's. But it would be wrong to ignore it, because it is true. We die because we sin. But, thanks to God, we can live because of Christ.
Please remember, this is not meant to be the answer to end all answers to such a hard question. This is just what got me through some very difficult times in my life. And hopefully, God can use it to help you.
Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.
Keep Soaring,
B
No comments:
Post a Comment