Why?

One of the hardest questions we will ever wrestle with this side of heaven is "Why does God allow bad things to happen on the earth?" We often wonder and ask, "Why did God allow that situation or experience to happen to me?" Honestly, we may never know all of the answers, however, there are a few thoughts from God's Word that guide us.

James 5:11...Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord's plan finally ended in good, for He is full of tenderness and mercy.

The other day I was watching my daughter and our neighbor play in the sand box. They were talking about certain things like they were experts and that even though they are only 4 & 6 they had it all figured out. I laughed to myself as I listened and watched. I thought, "aren't they cute...they don't have a clue." Instantly I pictured God saying the same thing about us. He watches us act like we have all of the answers and that we know how life works.

Does God ordain these events or just allow them to happen? Either way, God is able to take the most horrific, painful and crazy situations and use them and spin them for good. (Romans 8:28)
God has such an infinite perspective and we have, well, such a small perspective. Just like my 4 year old daughter only having 4 years of experience and life to draw from, we only have the short years here on earth. God has been around before the beginning and sees the beginning from the end.

What hurtful situations are you facing right now? What hurts from the past are you holding on to? Why did they happen? I wish I had all of the answers! Why not surrender them over to God and allow Him to heal, restore and bring good out of it!