When bad things happen

Why do bad things happen? You may have heard this question before, or you yourself may have asked it. There are a lot of reasons bad things happen. Today, I am only going to focus on one reason that I gleaned from 2 Corinthians.

The passage I read today got me thinking about what I have suffered either randomly or by my own hand. Many times, I caused my own sufferings, but surely, God could have stopped the train wreck long before it happened. After all, He is God. But, He didn't. And sometimes, as I went through the pain, I would get angry at Him, even though I had no right. And what about those things that weren't at my own hand?

Several years back, I started getting sick. For 8 months, I went without a diagnosis. Then, finally, I found out I had Lupus. Initially, I was relieved to find out I was not loosing my mind, but then, I started to get angry. I was angry that I had this condition. I was angry that I had tried to do every thing in my life in a way that was "right", and I still got sick. I was angry that I couldn't go to work and couldn't pay my bills. I was angry I had to go through treatments and that the treatments made me sick. However, God allowed it to happen all the same.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-6, Paul is talking about sufferings AND comfort. The verse that really caught my attention says, "who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." This passage talks about how when we go through afflictions, we can be comforted by God. In addition to that, the passage indicates that we can use that comfort to then comfort others. So, I have to think that sometimes we go through the tough stuff so that God can show us his grace in comforting us. Then, in that comfort, He uses those things to help us reach out to others.

If I take a hard look at what transpired after being diagnosed and all that occurred afterwards, I have to confess that this is true. After being sick, I have had so many opportunities to reach out to others that have yet to be diagnosed, the sick, and those going through heavy duty treatments. They don't even have to have the same diagnosis I have. I just know how it feels to go through that process. I know what feelings are associated with being sick and having to fight for one's life. I can empathize with them because of what I have been through. I believe that is because God took care of me through my ordeal that I now have the ability to comfort others, although its not always easy.

Believe it or not, the same is true of those things I essentially did to myself that caused me pain. An example of that would be some of the relationships I have been in. I chose those relationships, even when sometimes, I saw the red flags. In the end, when things went south, I got hurt. Sometimes badly. God could have spared me, but again, He didn't because I can use that pain, and God's comfort to help and identify with others who may be going through similar situations.

Now, I am not so foolish to say that every time you go through something hard or painful that you should be overjoyed. There were many times when I was sick that I was miserable. And, like I noted before, I spent a lot of time being angry. I admit that if we aren't careful, it is easy to let those bad things cause bitterness in our lives. It is easy to focus on the negative. That is why we have to focus on God and ask for His comfort during those hard times. It's when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on the problem or the pain, that we end up bitter, resentful, and vindictive.

Right now, I am again going through some hard times. People in my life are sick, a relationship I wanted has ended, others in my life need support that I don't feel strong enough to give. There are many times where I feel overwhelmed and fearful, and yes, sometimes, even angry. I could become bitter. I could just give up. It is hard to focus on God when pain and suffering enter in. Yet God comforts me. Sometimes, I don't even have to ask for His help. He just comes in and holds me in my brokenness. What I find interesting is that sometimes, EVEN as I go through some of these trials, the comfort God gives to me I can already extend to others AS I am going through my own pain. I find that I don't necessarily need to get through something before I can be there for others.

The verse that I often quote to myself when I am having a rough time of it is in Romans 8:28. It says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." So, no matter how bad things get, even if they are at my own hand, I know that God will use it for my good and hopefully for the good of others if need be.