Why do bad things happen to good people?
As countless Christians are martyred for their faith, being beheaded or being forced to watch their children be shot by ISIS members, I can’t help but wonder: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
As Baylor University’s loving president, Ken Starr, was asked to step down from his position of authority due to the sexual assault charges that occurred under his presidency, I can’t help but wonder: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
As a Godly, married couple finds out that they’ve miscarried, I can’t help but wonder: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
As shootings, violence, and death plague our world, I can’t help but wonder: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
How could a God who loves us with unparalleled, unprecedented love, who gives us peace that passes all understanding, and whose kindness is better than life allow bad things to happen to anyone, especially His children?
I’ve never really been through hard times. No, seriously. I am WAY beyond blessed in this life. My Jesus has lavished me with gift upon gift! My family and I are all in great health and have never experienced a life threatening illness or injury, my house has never burned down, I have never dealt with the death of a close friend or family member, I have never gone without food, water, shelter, or clothes, I attended a great school, I am a member of an amazing church, I have the best friends…the list could go on forever. Sure, I have been tested. Sure, I have had bad days, I have been sick, I have broken bones, and I have failed, but in the grand scheme of things, I’ve had it really really really good. Everyone experiences their fair share of “God, how could you let this happen to me?” moments, but I am blessed to be able to say that mine have been few and far between; my struggles have been light and momentary. But I know and look up to people who have had struggles that could have consumed them, but didn’t; people with pasts that could have affected their faith or stunted their growth as believers, but didn’t; people who went through events so traumatic and catastrophic that could have easily driven them to bitterness, but didn’t. As someone who has only ever really had the light and momentary kind of struggles, I believe much can be learned from someone who went through the hard stuff and was better for it. These people are massive inspirations to me. One of them is my mom.
Before I get into anything else, lemme tell ya about my momma real quick.
You know when you’re in elementary school and you fill out those papers saying
“My favorite color is__________”
“My favorite food is__________”
“I love to__________”
“When I grow up, I want to be__________”
and everyone would say
“When I grow up, I want to be just like my mom” ?
Well, I still do.
My mom is my best friend. I feel like so many girls go through a falling out with their mothers, but thankfully, my mom and I’s relationship has only grown stronger since my childhood. My mom is the version of myself that I strive to be: she is compassionate, she is patient, she is honest, she is funny, she is adventurous, she is wise, she is noble, she embodies Proverbs 31, and she is exactly the kind of woman, wife, and mother I hope to be one day. The values that she and my dad instilled in me when I was young have stuck not because they simply taught me right from wrong, but lived it out. Angie momma (say it out loud and try and tell me that doesn’t sound like ‘Aunt Jemima’) pulls pranks, laughs often, loves endlessly, and has a zeal for life that is so obvious. (I’m not even trying to boost her, y’all. She actually is that cool!! (guess that was hereditary ha ha)) But most importantly, she is fully confident in herself and her identity in Christ. By watching her over the years as I have grown up, it has become so obvious to me that her witness is what I strive for mine to be: seen. It’s as if she radiates Jesus vibes. I’m serious. She can get in a conversation with a complete stranger and, within 20 minutes they’ll have told her their complete life story-failures, setbacks, struggles, and all. People are so comfortable to confide in her, and through this gift God has blessed her with, my mom has been able to share a story of her own.
My mom’s daddy was a police officer in a small town in northeastern Arkansas in the 1970’s. One day, he woke up and went to work just like any other day-except that was the day he wouldn’t come back. There was a call to assist a woman stuck in an abusive household; this home had been visited for domestic abuse before by the police officers. When my mom’s dad arrived at the house, he was shot and killed. My mom was 9. Every time my mom has told me that story, tears fill her eyes, a sign of obvious sorrow, but there is a certain peace about it that I can’t put into words. There isn’t bitterness. There isn’t hatred. There isn’t uncertainty. No, when my mom has told me about her dad, there is a knowingness in her voice-a certainty in her eyes-that the tragedy that left my Grandma Peg (literal living legend) and her five children without their husband and father was not God’s way of punishing them for something or taking his wrath out on them, but rather, it was a way to bring glory to His Great Name.
Sometimes when bad things happen, its hard to see the big picture. But that’s just it; we will never be able to see how the pieces of God’s will for our lives fit together until the puzzle is complete and, looking in retrospect, we finally understand that the “bad” times and the “worst day ever”s come together to bring glory to the name of God in a way so beautifully that we couldn’t fathom it on our most imaginative days. When my mom’s dad passed away, I’m sure she couldn’t see how it would one day be used to honor God, but she remained faithful to Him and that was revealed to her in due time. I specifically remember my mom telling me that “sometimes God puts us through things just so that we might be able to relate to someone better.” With the event that happened in my mom’s life when she was just a young girl, she is able to add yet another weapon to the arsenal that is her witness.
Wow, what a lesson for us to latch onto that our struggles and shortcomings will be taken by Jesus, shaped, and formed into wisdom so that we might know and love both Him and His people better! God is taking the coal of our suffering and making diamonds out of them, that we may serve Him more aptly, strengthening both our witness and relationship with Him as He leads us to and through difficult situations. Our father works in mysterious ways unknown to us, which can be frustrating, but they are unknown to us for a reason. If we even began to unravel the intricacies of God’s will for our life, our head would probably explode (ok ok I looked this up and I actually don’t think this is possible, but I still bet it is if you tried to understand God’s ways). The beauty in this is that we can rest in the fact that God’s will is good and sovereign; we may not understand why things happen to us, but there is so much peace to be found when we remember that, while suffering is inevitable in this life, through our suffering we can come to know our Father in deeper and greater ways and He can use our suffering to bring glory to His name and lead others to Him!! Praise him for that!!!
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
UPDATES!!!!!
I officially have all of my equipment and leave for training camp in Georgia in less than a week! (I can’t believe how quickly everything is coming…I leave home in 62 days!!)
Additionally, I would like to thank everyone for loving and supporting me as I have been blessed beyond belief by having such giving people in my life! My account will soon be updated to show over $10,000! This is huge, people!! I am so thankful to have this community of believers to have my back! Y’all seriously rock!
Peace n Blessingz!
Love you all,
Cal 🙂
