“If your God is a good God, why does He allow bad things to happen?”
Have you heard this question before? I have heard it time and time again from one person after another. There is something about this question that starts a fire in me. It is not a cozy and warm kind of fire. Rather, it is a fire that stirs anger and frustration. The reason I get so irritated when people ask this question is because if you were to ask every person on earth about their past problems, I could guarantee you that they would all say they know more now than they did before their problems occurred.
I know we all wish that our lives were problem free. As believers, however, we have something that unbelievers do not: the comfort of knowing that there is purpose and lessons to be learned behind all the problems we face. As much as we cannot stand facing those tough obstacles, they benefit us all in the long run. I would not be where I am today if it were not for the problems I have faced. I would not have gained all the knowledge I have stored up today.
God will not put in a situation before you that you are not equipped to handle. He might bend you a bit, but He will by no means break you. I do not know what you have been or may be going through, but I do want to take the time today to tell you this: You are a child of the most High God. What you are going through at this moment is going to help you grow. A recent post made on Whole Magazine's Instagram said, “God never wastes a hurt.” The pain and suffering you are battling is not a waste; it is a tool to help you flourish and be the best you can be.
What I am about to say may sound completely crazy, but I believe it wholeheartedly. If we were to get excited about our problems, we would be in such a happier state of mind throughout life. Think about it. It would not be the problem that we are excited about. It would be the problem's outcome. In other words, our excitement would revolve around our anticipation of wondering what the next lesson on God’s list for us is.
Our problems are like running a race. Running a race will be a battle in and of itself, full of nothing but sweat and tears, but the finish line is so worth it. The same goes for a problem. The wait is not fun, but once you learn the problem's lesson, the wait then becomes worth it.
This is not an attitude and mindset that you can just muster up on your own. You have to pray for it. We all do. There are times where I, too, find myself asking the very question that sparks that angry fire within: "If my God is a good God, why does He allow bad things to happen?”
Our problems are never pointless. There is a reason for every single thing we go through.
Remember that you will walk out of your next obstacle knowing more than when you walked in.
God never wastes a hurt.
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