Dear Mark, Christina, Melissa, Robbie, Keith, and Tiffany-
There is a principle life that I don't like. In fact, I don't
even understand it. The principal is this, Bad things happen to good
people.
This principle is hard. It is difficult to understand. Extremely
difficult to accept.
We have all seen this principle at work in life:
- The person who deserved the promotion did not
get it.
- A local church member who is extremely active
in the church is devastated when his house burns to the ground.
- A volunteer worker at a food pantry is killed
on the way home from the mission.
- A forest fire in California destroyed homes of
totally innocent people.
When we
see bad things happen to good people, we might even say, “Life isn’t fair.”
Some people even think a loving God would not allow this to happen and begin to
doubt the existence of God.
Think on
these things when bad things happen to you:
Love of
God
God loves
us unconditionally The Bible clearly teaches that there is nothing that you can
do to make him love you more. The nearest analogy that I can think of is my
unconditional love for you, my children. There is nothing that you can do to
make me love you more or love you less.
So the
first thought when bad things happen is that God loves you. Unconditionally. He
always has and He always will.
Satan is
Mean
Evil, bad
things, calamities, natural disasters exist in this world because of sin and
Satan. Spiritual warfare is real, and we suffer the consequences in the
physical world. The Bible describes Satan as a liar, a roaring lion, seeking to
devour us. My 72 years confirms this.
Bad
things happening to you should be a reminder that Satan is real.
Power of
God
The Bible
teaches that God uses everything to advance His kingdom, Romans 8:28-29.
Nothing can stand against His church, Matthew 16:18. His ways and thoughts are
higher than mine, Isaiah 55:8-9. No matter what is happening to you, God will
use it to advance His kingdom.
Prosperity
gospel is false.
We tend
to be susceptible to a Prosperity Gospel here in the west that says, “If we do
good and if we do more and more to try to please God and to be good to other
people then God is going to reward us. Life will be good.” This gospel is false. Run from it.
Focus on
eternity
It is
important to live life with eternity in mind. (Remember the story of the string
which was posted here.) When our focus is on eternity then what happens in the
short period of time we're on this Earth is really immaterial. I know this is
hard to accept when bad things are happening, but the older you grow, the more
this makes sense.
In my life I see God using my struggles to help me grow spiritually. Sometimes those moments of despair are the most insightful. I think God allows bad things to happen, so he can draw you closer and help turn in you into the person you were meant to be. I love Romans 5:1-5.
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Also, I love 2 Corinthians 12:9-12. When I am weak, then I am strong. Suffering allows us the opportunity to lean on him and get our strength from Him. I don't always view suffering as bad. I often rejoice in it knowing He is using it for His glory. I'm not saying it's fun, but I know there is a bigger picture I can't see.
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