As a Christian, I've often found myself so outraged at God for 'letting' something bad happen to a family or friend of mine. And then I've had to wrestle with the idea of God 'letting' it happen or if this was just the way life played out. Whether it was the death of a loved one, or a long term injury, or never being able to reach your dream for one reason or another. Why does it happen?
I've been thinking about this today. A family friend of ours lost her twin boys yesterday morning when she had to give birth about 3 months prematurely. I can't help but cry every time I think about them and this huge loss they're going through. How can there be an explanation for this? It's hard to imagine that there is any purpose to such a devastating situation. I put myself in her shoes and can't imagine the pain and heart ache her and her husband must be going through.
So how do you explain that? How do you explain the death of friend? How can you not want to hate that drunk driver who drove another car off the road, killing everyone in it? Where is the reasoning behind a man killing his 5 year old daughter? The questions go on and on and on.
Fortunately I serve a God who gives comfort in times of great sorrow. Who gives you peace when your world is nothing but chaos. Who gives you hope when you feel like you've hit rock bottom. Yes, sometimes life throws you the biggest curve ball and you can ask questions until you're blue in the face, but in the end you still might not have any answers. But at least I know that I will make it out of that situation and knowing that it happened for a reason and there is a purpose behind it that I may never know about.
Again, I count my blessings.
Hey Banessi, when I was at capers I asked Hadassah a similar question, and she gave me a book to read called "Where is God when it Hurts?" by Philip Yancey. I really recommend it, and I still don't think it provides all the 'answers', but it really goes about a great way of looking at it, and makes things make more sense.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I just read something in my bible study about the way God provides examples to us in our lives about how he has loved us, and one of them was about a family who lost their son in an accident caused by a drunk driver, and they took in the boy who did it, bringing him up as their own, just loving him in forgiveness. The example this bible study guide gave reflects that God is represented by the parents in this case, and we are the driver. We were taken in to sit at the place that Jesus left us, God's son.
I know this isn't an answer, but if I can understand God's pain in losing his son, and then what he gave us through it, then I have learnt something. This does NOT mean that pain is at all easy, but that's a way of looking at it that gives me a different perspective, that's all.
I don't think God causes us pain on purpose, but I don't know why it happens.
Read that book, it's really good.
And in the meantime, I'm so sorry for the loss your family friends experienced, and the loss of a child seems to make the least sense of all. Our God is our comfort, is all I know.
Sending love to you xxxxxxxxxx Heidi (in Oz)
Thank you for this post and for reminding me of how delicate life is. Thinking of your family friends and the tragedy that they are experiencing.
ReplyDeleteBe well, yourself.