God’s World

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Many years ago, when my son Jordan was born and was not expected to make it, I found myself angry at God.  Jordan was born during the height of my drug addiction/alcoholism days.  At that point in my life I believed in God but I only viewed him as being there for me when I needed Him.  He was a God of “convenience” for me and all of a sudden this God of “convenience” had turned his back on me; or so I thought.

I felt like God was punishing my child and in turn punishing me for the life I was living.  Jordan’s situation created a make or break point in my life and for the first 18 months of his life I literally “broke.”  I took my addiction to another level as I medicated the pain and ran from the responsibilities that came from having a developmentally disabled child.

Long story short…Jordan’s experience led me to Jesus.  Although it was not easy and I lost virtually everything and had to start over; I can look back on that time and know the words of Paul in Romans 8:28 are true; “…in all things we know that God works for the good of those who love him.”

For those of us who’ve suffered through tragic situations first hand, it is sometimes very difficult to see any good in the situation.  But once through it, and with the help of God, we eventually see and experience the good.

As human beings it is real easy to get stuck in the “world” and its ways and fail to experience what eternal life really is.  Living eternally is more than just accepting Jesus and going to heaven.  Living eternally means living the way Jesus encourages us to live in the here and now.  Living eternally in the here and now also requires us to see the big picture and understand we do not have all the answers to why things happen and that is why God created the word “FAITH.”  

God is a big God.  God serves over all humanity.  God is the alpha and the omega.  God developed the divine plan.  God developed the universe.  God owns everything.  God loves us so much he came down to earth and suffered a horrible death so we could be free of the bondage of sin.  My faith serves me well as I believe all of this. 

But why does God allow tragedy to happen?  Today, my faith tells me God obviously doesn’t view tragedy the way the world does.

The best way to even begin to understand why tragedy happens is to get unstuck from the world’s way of thinking and get “stuck in the Word.”  In Romans, Paul talks about how we can grow our faith, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  (Romans 10:17 NIV)

If you are struggling with your faith and constantly find yourself asking God why something is happening, get into the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and not only read, but take the time to sit, pray and “hear” the word of Christ. 

Other ways of growing your faith by “hearing the words of Christ” is to attend church regulary and interact with others who are strong in their faith.  Last but not least, extending a hand to others in need is an awesome way to experience and hear the words of Christ without anyone speaking a word.

The bad news is faith doesn’t “happen” overnight, the good news is it happens much more quickly when we are doing the things we need to do to in order to quit listening to the world and instead listen to Christ.  Slowly but surely the “WHY’S” from any and all situations turn into one big HOW…How can I grow from this experience and become a better disciple of the Lord? 

Reminder…the whole faith walk journey is a process and not an event.  It only takes 2 steps to be successful at it: Start and Continue.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com 

P.S.  For 24 years Jordan has given our entire family and most people he comes in contact with an unmeasurable amount of peace, joy and happiness without ever speaking a word.  Now that is how having faith in God’s world works.