Today we shared testimonies at Sigma Alpha Omega candidate class. I honestly haven’t cried that much in a long time. I may not have shared much about myself at all, mainly because very few people know a lot of the personal stuff that has gone on in my life, but also because of the fear of completely bawling my eyes out. But I went early in the testimony sharing process and little did I know I would have been bawling my eyes out anyways. God works in mysterious ways, it truly was proven by some of the personal stories I heard from my Christian sisters today. Not only were those stories completely shocking and heartbreaking, but it brought back a bunch of my own suppressed memories. It caught me off guard and I, honestly, just broke down. It took me like 30 minutes to get tears to stop strolling down my face, because I just had these images and memories fogging my thoughts.
It’s been a long time since I have had to deal with the affect of some of those things, and it hurt, but at the same time, I was happy. Because looking back at some of the trials I have had to face, God has worked through all of them, and it has all worked out for the better. It may not be obvious, and I had to search a long time for the optimistic side of things, but it is true.
I talked to a friendly cop the other day at D-Hall with one of my fellow SAO candidates. We ended up getting in a discussion about faith and believing and he explained that he believes in God, but he is just confused. He said, “You guys are young, and I know you are all religious and all, but I have seen a lot more things happen than you guys. And I honestly just can’t understand why bad things happen to good people, and why good things happen to bad people.”
The truth is, our view of “good” and “bad” has been perverted by Satan. What may seem good to us, such as gaining power or being wealthy, they are just worldly treasures. And yes, “bad” people do have positions of power and “bad” people are wealthy. But they are lacking Christ! They are lacking an eternal life! They are buried in sin and have no way out, because they hold those things above Jesus Christ.
So why do bad things happen to good people? Why do strong Christians get diagnosed with cancer? Why does a teenage girl, who is on fire for God, die in a car accident? Honestly, I can’t answer that question. I could guess at why those things happens, but God’s will is God’s will. He has a plan, and we have to have faith it is right. God can create and mold things out of the most peculiar situations. Want an example? Both of my grandparents died of cancer. It greatly affected me and my family. I used that hate of cancer to propel my need to help those who have fallen victim of cancer. I dedicated my senior project to childhood cancer. I raised enough money to send a childhood cancer patient to camp. That time line took years! But in the end, it had a great ending.
Death, however, should not be considered bad thing. We should rejoice at the death of strong Christian. Stay with me here. I know its hard to be happy in times of sorrow, but think about it. If a truly “good” person dies, then they have entered the kingdom of heaven. Proverbs 11:3 says “But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” We are promised safety from evil, not safety from death. We can not escape our physical death. Psalms 48:14 says, “For this is our God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even unto death.” Even if someone was taken of off this Earth, God is still with them!
Ecclesiastes 7:14 - “When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider: God has made one as well as another. Therefore a man can discover nothing about his future.”
On this, I end.
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