This has been a questions that addressed many times by many people. Not necessarily well known authors or speakers but I think every single person has had this question at least once in their life. I'm sure many more.
Recently a friend of mine has been pre-diagnosed with a disease that would affect her for her entire life. This woman is an extraordinary person. Rarely do you hear her complain, she loves Jesus, is a great teacher, and supports everyone in so many ways. Due to this disease she would have to live with pain, weakness, and the inability to be able to live her life the way she has. The disease will progress until she is unable to live on her own, hopefully that won't be for many years down the road but we honestly never know.
Another friend lost a loved one recently in an accident that never should have happened. Someone decided to go out and drink until they were impaired and drive a car that hit and killed him. His family, my friend and his significant other were obviously very impacted by his death and they are all kind people.
I'm sure everyone has examples of good people who have bad things happen to them. Loved ones lost too soon, diseases, cancer, car accidents, so many things. It's when these things happen that we question why would God do this to us? We try so hard to live our lives the way that he wants us to yet these tragic things happen.
Or it could be something as simple as bad things aren't happening but there just doesn't really seem to be anything really good happening in our lives. We go through the daily routine but we don't have a significant other, or we can't get a good job, our friend is moving away. Little things like that and we wonder why. You look across your street to your neighbor who has never said a nice word to you, ran over a cat the other day, and curses like a sailor yet they seem to have everything. Awesome car, amazing job, and somehow a person who loves them like crazy. We know we shouldn't compare and be jealous of what they have but since we're human we are and we wonder... Why them? Why not us?
Now I never claim to have the answers, I never really claim to do anything more than write the random thoughts in my head. I can only hope that these thoughts aren't coming from just my head but God using me to express them. I pray that is what happens.
Anyway today I was thinking that these "bad things" or "lack of good things" can only happen to strong people. I'm a firm believer that God never gives us more than we can handle. It may be more than we can handle alone but when we accept him into our hearts we never have to. When bad things happen I feel that he's using it to bring us closer to him. Not only that but that he using us as an example. Not only are we being drawn closer to him but other people will get to see that happen.
There is a girl who I went to high school with who was diagnosed with cancer. She was always healthy, great shape, had graduated college and was working as at teacher which she loved. Shortly before being diagnosed she had started her job and it seemed everything came crumbling down. Imagine how she must have felt, to have just been given a great opportunity and have it fall out from under her. There are many paths she could have taken and I am amazed at the one that she chose. Instead of crying and saying "why me?" she prayed, read her bible and was constantly optimistic about her prognosis and how she was recovering. I found I always looked forward to her facebook messages because she was raising me up in what she was saying.
I can't imagine that God gave her cancer as a mistake or as a punishment. He loves us. He was only using her as a way to spread news about himself. I'm happy to report that this girl is now in remision, engaged, planning her wedding, and teaching again. How cool is that? While she was fighting cancer her future husband met her. Before being diagnosed she was going to meet this man for a blind date, after finding out she had cancer she didn't think he'd want to meet but he did. Went with her to treatments, appointments, stayed in the hospital and they have a loving relationship from it.
To me this story is proof that bad things happen to good people for a good reason. They make us stronger, more in love with Christ if we truly believe and let it all go. I mean look at Job from the bible. He was dealt a really hard hand. If you're ever looking for a tough read check it out. You'd think God gave him more than he could handle but he just took it and formed a strong relationship with God.
So whenever you're having a bad day, bad things seem to keep happening or it just doesn't seem like there's a lot of good things happening, lean on Him. Our creator who loves us and doesn't back away when he gives us hard stuff. I think really he scoops us up and carries us along. I like to imagine the "Footprints" poem (link attached at the bottom) where it states that at the toughest points of our lives when we only see one print in the sand it was then He carried us.
Yes it may seem that bad things happen to good people, and good things may even happen to bad people, and that's okay. There's always a plan, there's always a reason, and more importantly there is always Christ with you if you believe. He'll carry you when you're too weak, and walk beside you when things are tough. "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://shruts11.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/footprints-in-the-sand1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://shruts11.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/footprints-in-the-sand-3/&h=1600&w=1200&sz=457&tbnid=yGDswImanzIzCM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=85&zoom=1&usg=__aMm_MnCSMSk_CtpyYUp0p1afgB8=&docid=MI2Q5qql757kUM&sa=X&ei=2qiRUYbVHIfI4APW8oGQCg&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAA&dur=272
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