"...He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Hey guys!
So I was watching The Good Doctor this morning when one of the patients gave me the perfect topic for today's post. He had been diagnosed with a fatal tumor, but he claimed to not be afraid. One of the doctors asked him if he wasn't afraid because he knew he was going to Heaven. The boy responded, "I'm not afraid because I know I'm not going to Heaven. If I was I'd have to believe in God and wonder why he did this to me."
One day I was sitting in class, and the girl next to me made a sarcastic comment about God. Before this, I assumed she was Christian, but I decided to ask if she was or not. She said no and then asked me, "if God is so good why does he let bad things happen?" Luckily for me, the teacher told us to stop talking so I didn't have to respond. At the time I had no idea what to say.
This is a common question that Christians get asked. It's also a valid question. A lot of people assume when they become Christian that life will be easier. It's not. In the Bible, it tells us that we should expect hardships in John 16:33. The difference between being Christian and facing these challenges versus not Christian, is that we're not alone. We no longer have to be "strong enough" and live in fear of the next battle. We have God to lean on and our community to help us through these struggles.
This doesn't answer the question of "why?" though. I often find myself telling God that "I deserve better" than my situation. That could not be less true. If anything we all deserve worse. Way worse. We don't deserve to be freed from our sin and shame. God had grace on us though. The reason these bad things happen is sin. The reason he allows it is debatable.
We don't know the reasoning or the thought process of God, but we do know what the Bible says. God is sovereign and compassionate. He wouldn't put us through something that we cannot handle without his help. He allows things to happen so that it can all come together for good and his purpose (Romans 8:28). We can learn through our experiences and truly begin to understand God and his personality through them.
Good can come out of any event. God wants you to come to him, and if it takes a challenge to get you to him then he'll allow it. The end of our lives as Christians is something to look forward to. When we are in Heaven we will shed no more tears, there will be no more death, and no more pain, overall we will forget our past lives in order to live in our new life with Jesus.
Praying,
Addison Wimbish
An Excerpt From Angels & Demons, By Dan Brown
A couple months back, on a peaceful afternoon inside Vatican City, Chartrand had bumped into the camerlegno coming across the grounds. The camerlegno had apparently recognized Chartrand as a new guard and invited him to accompany him on a stroll. They had talked about nothing in particular, and the camerlegno made Chartrand feel immediately at home.
“Father,” Chartrand said, “may I ask you a strange question?”
The camerlegno smiled. “Only if I may give you a strange answer.”
Chartrand laughed. “I have asked every priest I know, and I still don’t understand.”
“What troubles you?” The camerlegno led the way in short, quick strides, his frock kicking out in front of…