Why do bad things happen to good people?
Wow has this question been on my heart so intensely lately.
I am constantly seeing some of my most Godly friends go through struggles they DO NOT deserve.
I myself have gone through so many things this trip alone that I just simply DO NOT understand.
My friends are amazing people. I like to think I am a good person.
So why us?
The only answer I could possibly have is simply because we live in a sinful world.
We live in a place where people make choices based on their own desire and will.
A place where we naturally choose to put our own needs over others.
A place where we often believe we are far more important than we actually are.
SO, in this blog I would like to share with you a few of the moments that have REALLY sucked in the past 5 weeks.
But I also want to share the ways in which I have seen God’s faithfulness in each of these moments.
To begin, saying goodbye to my mom at the airport SUCKED.
She just moved into a new home and began a very new lifestyle sharing a home with someone she truly loves, Pat.
I have been praying for this moment for an extremely long time and I had honestly always imagined myself living in the moment with her when she finally decided to take that step. My mom has been strong and way too independent for a very long time and I am overjoyed to finally rest in knowing she has someone to take care of her. But it hurt not being with her or being able to talk to her during that time.
Looking back, though, I see God’s purpose. See at the airport my mom kissed my cheek and said, “I’m praying for you Christine.”
I know this sounds minuscule, but to me it means the world.
My mom cares about everyone else above herself always, (the woman won’t even buy tennis shoes for herself sometimes). But in that moment when she kissed my cheek I felt complete peace knowing she was going home to Pat, which meant someone was also caring for her.
In Swaziland, I am not going to lie a lot of things went wrong in my fleshly mindset.
I got a really bad chest cough after traveling, which made it hard to be my normal extroverted self. Through this sickness, though, I realized I do not always need to be the center of attention. God did not give me this sickness, but I believe he used the sickness as a way to truly humble me.
My heart broke each and every time I held a small child in my arms. But God showed me how much he loves every person on this Earth, even the extremely dirty child in my arms. We do not need to clean ourselves up before going to God. He wants us exactly as we are.
It sucked not having any sort of connection home because we were in the middle of the African bush, but God revealed to my team how wonderful disconnection can be. He revealed what stillness looks like. What reliance on him alone looks like. He taught me that before I turn to any person, or any object, or any google search that I should turn to him.
It sucked when the girl that I watched the sunset with every single night got very sick and could not watch the sunset with me our last night in Swaziland. But God taught me that although his creation is a beautiful way to feel his presence, there are many more ways to know he is near.
It SUCKED when my entire suitcase was stolen from the bus on our travel day to Jeffrey’s Bay. But I am still in the process of seeing God’s faithfulness in this. I truly believe the person who has my belongings will have a personal encounter with Jesus. Whether it is through the words on my t-shirts, through the letters my friends in Swazi wrote me, through the money that my clothes could be sold for to make a living. I truly believe God did not let this happen for nothing. My clothes can be replaced, new shampoo and lotions can be bought, I don’t need letters to tell me people love and care about me. I know these are just possessions. Earthly things that I won’t even need to take with me to heaven. So why get upset over them now?
It sucked when today at the beach my ONLY pants that I JUST bought ripped on a splinter. But I am CONTINUOUSLY seeing God’s faithfulness through the people on my team. One girl, who wants to remain unnamed because she is just that humble, bought me an entire outfit at the store yesterday. Another friend, Kaitlyn, bought me a necklace I fell in love with but refused to buy because I know I don’t need it. Another friend, Georgia, who today slipped money into my purse to help buy shoes after my only pair broke. The same three girls who blessed me with these items sat with me on the beach today and simply prayed with me. We worshipped, sometimes laughed, prayed for people, and enjoyed sweet moments together.
It sucked again today, when I was running and split my toe open on a rock in the sand. My friends were walking for ice cream, and I had to go back to our house. But again, I see God’s faithfulness. I was able to speak to security guards and love on them without even talking about Jesus. I then ran into one of our hosts and got a free ride back to the house. We were able to spend time getting to know each other even deeper.
See, all of us have really sucky moments. But I encourage each of you to think about the ways in which God has been faithful in those moments. I would even love it if you would be willing to write in the comments what you think of.
Praying blessings over your days 🙂
