When Bad Things Happen To Good People
Why do bad things happen to good people? It’s the age old question in Christianity and most of the time we are hard pressed to come up with an adequate answer because nothing makes sense.
Unfortunately, most people fall into the false sense of “Now that I gave my life to Christ and got born again, my life is going to be all unicorn glitter and rainbows.” Then when things like an unexpected job loss, a cancer diagnosis, the sudden death of a loved one or divorce happens, they become disenchanted with Christian living because “it doesn’t work.”
Like anything, consistency is key. If your connection with Jesus is only casual and you just go on a date with Him once a week on Sundays, you can expect life’s unexpected curve balls to strike you out every time. However, if you lean on and trust in Jesus for everything, dig into God’s Word and develop an intimate relationship with the Lord, when bad things happen, you will be able to respond appropriately without them completely derailing your life.
Let’s Set The Record Straight
Does that mean just because you have a tight relationship with God when bad things happen, all you have to do is quote Romans 8:28 real loud enough times and everything will just magically be fixed again?
No.
We live in a fallen world where sin, disease, deception and disappointments are rampant. We are not guaranteed these things will not touch our lives just because we are followers of Christ. As a matter of fact, you can pretty much count on it at some point.
The difference is HOW we look at them. When bad things happen to us, the pain is real and it hurts. There are times of anger, disbelief, frustration and hopelessness. But instead of turning to Satan’s remedies, we turn to God.
NEWS FLASH…
God’s not intimidated by your negative emotions. He understands how you feel and knows what you’re going through. (Hebrews 4:15) “But how can a loving God let this happen to me?” That question has been asked by millions when they can’t make sense of bad things happening to good people.
God is love. (1 John 4:16) Period. Full stop. He doesn’t cause car accidents, cancer or divorce and he didn’t take your loved one because He needed another angel in heaven. God gets blamed for a lot that He’s not responsible for and Satan loves that. He doesn’t want you to trust God for anything and as long as he can get you to doubt God’s love for you, he’s happy. (Genesis 3:1-4)
The truth is you have an enemy and he has a three-fold mission….to steal, kill and destroy everything in your life and ultimately take you out entirely. (John 10:10) So when you experience “bad things”, don’t blame God, run to Him. Will you receive all the answers to every question you have? Maybe, but maybe not. That’s where trust comes in.
“But Judy, that’s not fair! Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Ask and it will be given?”. Yes, it does, but let me ask you a question. As parents, do we give our kids everything they ask for every time they ask for it? No, because we know what’s best for them.
Trust me, I had lots of questions for God. “Why did You allow me to be abused as a child?” “Where were You when I got pregnant and was forced to have an abortion?” Some of them He has answered and some He hasn’t. But He has proven to me that He is trustworthy, so I know if He doesn’t share the “why behind the what” concerning something I’ve gone through, then it’s because I don’t need to know.
He’s not snarky about it either. His tone is always loving and comforting when it comes to painful issues. He finds no joy or satisfaction when we hurt. He doesn’t cause pain, but He will heal it if we allow Him to.
Final Thoughts
We are going to face evil, pain and loss as long as we are on this earth. (John 16:33) The beautiful thing about having a relationship with God is, He promises we will never go through it alone; He is with us even in our darkest times. (Isaiah 58:10) Nothing we go through can separate us from Him. (Romans 8:38-39)
Whatever you are currently going through or have gone through in the past, God has a way of punishing the enemy for touching your life if you can see past it. Trust God to comfort you, to heal you, to vindicate you and to bless you. Some of our greatest moments of pain can be transformed into a platform for praise.
We can choose to wallow in our situation, dig a pit of self-pity, decorate it and make a monument out of it, or we can choose to go through it God’s way and let Him turn it into a testimony.
Bad things will continue to happen to good people, but now we are equipped with a greater understanding of what to do in order to not stay stuck in a “bad thing” but to shift our focus to what God can do in spite of it. (Isaiah 61:3)
Blessings,
