Why do bad things happen?

“You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  (John 13:7 NIV)

Many years ago my wife and I were participating in a Bible study at a summer church camp.  I was probably 3 years sober at the time and still very “green” when it came to controlling my tongue…a character defect I’ve worked hard to correct over my 23 years of sobriety.  A lady in the class raised her hand and in a very whimpy, mousy way said “pastor why do bad things happen to good people.?”

Well I proceeded to answer the question for the pastor and said “I grow tired of people moaning about why bad things happen to good people.  Bad things can happen to anybody, none of us are immune from it and if Jesus (God’s son i.e. God in human form) could experience an awful, unfair, tortuous, painful, unsightly, beating and death; what makes you think “good people” should be immune from bad things happening?  I still have the bruises on my shin from my wife kicking me under the table that day.   🙂

Over the last 6 weeks my world, and more recently the little village I live in has been rocked with bad things happening to good people.  All tolled I’ve witnessed the tragic death of 5 good people beginning July the 8th and if I go back to the suicide of my buddy Joe back on April 14 of last year I’ve witnessed 11 good people die way before their time…8 of them from my little village with a population of 2500.

I texted my daughter yesterday as she was grieving the most recent loss of Staci and Corey, a 29 year old and 21 year old whom my kids grew up with and the town was extremely fond of.  My text message went something like this, “this is a time where your faith must be a light to others because when stuff like this happens people either run to the Lord or away from the Lord and we need to be there for them no matter which way they are headed and share with them the good news about life after death, i.e. eternal life through Jesus.

Some of the ways I am coping with these tragic losses:

…I believe that I am going to die no matter if I am good or bad, young or old.  

…As a Jesus follower I believe there is a much better life after death and the only way to get there is through death, so in essence death means an even better life. 

…I believe if God would allow His son to die the most horrible death possible in order that we may have eternal life; then God must view death differently than the world does. 

…I believe God has infinite wisdom that my finite wisdom is simply unable to grasp and understand and the only way to accept bad things happening to good people is thru faith (i.e. faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see…Hebrews 11:1). 

…I believe it all comes down to faith in what Jesus said to his disciples on the night prior to his “unfair” death…”You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7  (I turned to that scripture yesterday after questioning why God would let such bad things happen to Corey and Staci.) 

…I’m trying my best to trust and have faith in that verse in the book of John above, and looking forward to the day I will be in His presence and be able to understand. 

…Although I’m sad and disappointed God didn’t perform a miracle on these two beautiful, young, “good” people I truly believe God knows what he is doing and the best thing I can do is let God be God and try my best to be a witness and disciple.

P.S. Over the years I will occassionally be challenged about this “Jesus thing.”  People will say “what if you are wrong Jay?”  I simply tell them if I am wrong I am out nothing and then I turn the question back to them and ask them “what if you are wrong?” 

Saying yes to Jesus will allow you to someday ask the question and get an answer to “why do bad things happen?”

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com