Today I am thinking of the poem "Footprints In The Sand," the age-old question weighing heavy on my mind. Why is it that bad things happen to good people? This is a question that most all of us have struggled with at some point in this journey called life. Perhaps especially so for believers (in God). There are those prosperity preachers on TV who will promise that belief in God (along with a hefty donation) will guarantee you wealth, health, and happiness. This is a lie from the pits of hell, and I fear for these men and women when their day of judgment comes. Believers are promised "a life more abundant", but the error comes with the interpretation of the word "abundant". Certainly we shouldn't take it to mean an abundance of riches, health, favor with man, good "luck", etc. Still, it would seem that God would show a little favoritism to His followers, and give us a break sometimes from the wicked and tragic things that happen. Well, that's not the case either. I don't even pretend to know and understand the ways of God. I probably have more questions than you do. All I know is there are laws of nature, processes of illness, and results of poor choices that are no respector to any human... believer or not. Yes, God is a God of miracles, and should He choose, any specific individual or situation can be changed. It's the why-didn't-He-change-MY-situation-with-a-miracle thing that boggles the mind. As such, believers and unbelievers alike must suffer through tragedy, illness and death, loss of property, the heartbreak of divorce, wayward children, family crises, and any number of awful things that befall us. God never promises any of us, especially the believer, a life void of storms and trials. What He does promise, however, is that He will never leave us, and He will walk through the storms and trials with us (or as reflected in the poem, will carry us through.) I know this to be true, as I have experienced that in my own life many times. So what's the difference between a believer and a nonbeliever? Nothing, in regard to the bad things that come our way. They're gonna happen. Everything in regard to feeling the hand of God holding us up in our time of need, and the promise of hope that He will never leave us. It is knowing this to be true that gives us the strength to face the tough days ahead.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Footprints
Today I am thinking of the poem "Footprints In The Sand," the age-old question weighing heavy on my mind. Why is it that bad things happen to good people? This is a question that most all of us have struggled with at some point in this journey called life. Perhaps especially so for believers (in God). There are those prosperity preachers on TV who will promise that belief in God (along with a hefty donation) will guarantee you wealth, health, and happiness. This is a lie from the pits of hell, and I fear for these men and women when their day of judgment comes. Believers are promised "a life more abundant", but the error comes with the interpretation of the word "abundant". Certainly we shouldn't take it to mean an abundance of riches, health, favor with man, good "luck", etc. Still, it would seem that God would show a little favoritism to His followers, and give us a break sometimes from the wicked and tragic things that happen. Well, that's not the case either. I don't even pretend to know and understand the ways of God. I probably have more questions than you do. All I know is there are laws of nature, processes of illness, and results of poor choices that are no respector to any human... believer or not. Yes, God is a God of miracles, and should He choose, any specific individual or situation can be changed. It's the why-didn't-He-change-MY-situation-with-a-miracle thing that boggles the mind. As such, believers and unbelievers alike must suffer through tragedy, illness and death, loss of property, the heartbreak of divorce, wayward children, family crises, and any number of awful things that befall us. God never promises any of us, especially the believer, a life void of storms and trials. What He does promise, however, is that He will never leave us, and He will walk through the storms and trials with us (or as reflected in the poem, will carry us through.) I know this to be true, as I have experienced that in my own life many times. So what's the difference between a believer and a nonbeliever? Nothing, in regard to the bad things that come our way. They're gonna happen. Everything in regard to feeling the hand of God holding us up in our time of need, and the promise of hope that He will never leave us. It is knowing this to be true that gives us the strength to face the tough days ahead.
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