Saturday, September 1, 2012

Bad "Things" & "Good" People


Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s the age old question that plagues us all still. There are multiple problems with this question. First, at what point did "bad" things become relegated to circumstantial issues that concern God in the least bit? Is he no more in the know of these occurrences than when they don't happen, or when life is good? Or is he justified in such times maybe when the person it happens to is more "deserving"? I just don't know at what point we made the decision that what happens in this life isn't ultimately good in every way? Understandable? Likable? Or even Preferred? Maybe not, but its dangerous to say that what happens isn't in any way connected with Gods loving hand moving in our lives!

 Second, when did we become good? Jesus even deferred "goodness" strictly to the Father. I'm just not sure that when asking such a question that we can appropriately label any of us "good". Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly believe that in Christ we ARE a new creation and perfected before the Father as taught in the New Testament. I also am well aware of the dangerous popular cultural belief that our lives in Christ should be filled with comfort and ease! The model of life for us all is Jesus, right? Was he not the ultimate example of life and perfection? Yet his life was filled with hurt, pain, and ultimately suffering and shame at the expense of we the "good" people.  

I am not writing because I have answers, I am writing because I am suffering, people around me are suffering, and I want to be submissive to what Christ is calling us toward.... I want to obey the suffering; I want to be more like Jesus today than yesterday!

No comments: