Thursday, April 28, 2011

Why do bad things happen to good people?

April 28, 2011
During a time of recurring pregnancy losses, I found a Bible Study by Beth Moore that discusses people who love the Lord, and their experience with suffering. It is a difficult concept for us to understand. Why would a loving, all-powerful God allow such heartache in those who have given their lives to Him? This section spoke about Luke, chapter 1 and described how Zechariah and Elizabeth were blameless before God, yet Elizabeth was barren. The study explains that there are life experiences that come so naturally for many people, and yet for some, the very same life experiences are like chasing the wind. When they don’t happen according to our expectations we feel as though we are being punished unfairly.
She gives the illustration of a single woman who is not fit for motherhood (addicted to substance abuse, etc.)—nor does she even want to be a mother—and how easily she might become pregnant; contrasted with a God-fearing couple and their battle against infertility. Then she writes, “While there are many that have things happen naturally, God only chooses a special few to show off His supernatural power.” Yes, the Lord could have allowed J.V. and I to build our family in the traditional way. He could have spared us a child that doctors suggest we terminate because her tiny body is so “incompatible with life.” However, because he loves us, he is allowing us to experience the supernatural. He has given us a story and a testimony that could only have been written by His hand, and we are grateful. Each one of our children is a miracle beyond comprehension and we praise Him because He chose us for this story. He has not forsaken us. He understands our pain, and I have to believe His promise that “He who began a good work in (us) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 1:6
The Lord is weaving a beautiful tapestry with each of our lives. The side we can see appears to be a tangled mess of yarn going this way and that, making no picture at all. However, when you turn it over you can see an amazing work of art, each thread just where it should be, made by the most amazing designer. I wish I could see the other side of this tapestry right now…I get glimpses of it. I see it when I look at Christian and Cambria, Caden, and Cooper. I think of how gracious our God is to entrust us with these four healthy children for a time on this earth. For now, though, I just have to trust that He is working every piece of our life—every strand of yarn—together to reveal an amazing masterpiece when it is finished.

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