It’s a question that gets asked all the time. And it’s a question that I ask all the time.
“why do bad things happen to good people?”
Seriously, why? I hate that sin and suffering is so prevalent in the world, but it is something that we all face, and we must remember why it is this way, but more importantly, we must remember the grace of the Lord to forgive us of our sins, and see us through the suffering. I hate cancer, I hate divorce, I hate depression, I hate loneliness. But I love the hope of Jesus Christ. Me and a few of my friends lately have been talking about how much we hate these very things. Some of them have been happening in my life or theirs, and they just plain suck. Everything about them. But it seems to always be coming back to the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?”
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a clear answer? IT WOULD BE SO HELPFUL! So, if you have that answer, please share. I would love to know. But as for me, I still wonder. I’ve decided to take action and actually try and seek the Lord out on, why (crazy idea, right?). You would think I would have started seeking this long ago, but it’s just now hitting me. Cool.
I’m not ashamed, I will admit it, I literally googled “bible verses, why do bad things happen to good people.” I’m not above google, for anything, ever. I found some good stuff, but the thing that stuck out to me the most, was the quote I found here: “why do good things happen?”
This is where I had the ah-ha moment that I’m sure every christian has all the time, cause you’re all so holy. I DON’T DESERVE THE GOOD THINGS-THEY ARE ALL A GIFT. Ding ding-lightbulb. The bad things that happen are repercussions of sin (round of applause for Adam and Eve, many thanks to the happy couple). When life is good and happy and things are going the way I think they should, those times are all a blessing. So when those times are taken away, and the sin is revealed, we realize how good things were before. But again, and again and again and again-the good times are blessing. The good news is, the Lord LOVES to bless us, because that is who he is. He is so passionate about loving us, that He wants to see us happy, He wants to pour his love on us through blessings. But I think it’s easier to see the sucky stuff when we stop being so thankful for the blessings.
God does not love cancer or divorce or depression or loneliness, but he uses all of these things to show his love and comfort. If things were good all the time, we wouldn’t realize how much he wants to be more than a provider of stuff. He wants to be our comforter too. [“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4] How would we see his comfort if we didn’t ever need it?
Unfortunately, we are promised trouble too…cool. [“Man born of woman, is of few days and full of trouble.” Job 14:1] Again, it’s because of sin and Adam and Eve and the apple and ya ya. (If you don’t know what I’m referring to, go read Genesis 2:1-3:29.) I honestly don’t have much to say about this verse except that trouble is coming. Sorry, it’s a harsh reality. So don’t be surprised when it comes, because it will. But my hope is in Jesus Christ, [“…let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2-3] He died so that through our suffering, we do not have to grow weary, and so that we do not lose heart. He literally sees everything. Like inside of who you are, he sees your emotions. So do not lose heart, because in heaven:
[“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4]
YAY! I’m so pumped. So, this isn’t really the answer that I wanted to find, but this is what I found as the truth: trouble is coming (or may already be here), but heaven will be so much better, and this pain is only temporary. And during the pain, Jesus Christ is present and sees it all-He wants to comfort you.
My bit of advice: don’t let fear take over. Fear screws up everything, and the devil loves fear. Fear serves no purpose, and it in the end is stupid. Believe that the Lord is working everything out, and trust that he sees everything. He is not blind to your troubles, and He is certainly not surprised by them.
jessie ray 