Why is there hardship in the world? Why doesn't God make everything just "good" and comfortable? Wouldn't we all love Him more and believe more in His goodness and mighty power if everything just went "right" for us all the time?
There are many articles, books, sermons, etc. out there about why
there is struggling in the world and why bad things happen to good
people (as well as why good things happen to people who do bad). I am
going to admit right now that, although I have heard some of the
thoughts and ideas from some of these resources, I have not done a lot
of reading or study in this area up to this current point in my life.
Yes, I'd love to read some of the books, articles, etc. - some day.
I
pray for salvation or deepened relationships with God for many people
and I've learned that this is a sticking point that holds some people back from believing and trusting God.
Before you read any more of this post, I'd like to ask you to open your mind. Be willing to ponder on what you read. Seek out your own thoughts about it. I'd also suggest prayer, if you are willing. Even if you don't typically pray and don't know for sure if you believe in God - give it a try with an openness to see what God can reveal to you. Come ready to learn something new about God, yourself, and the world around you.
I'll wait...Go ahead and open up your mind and heart. Let go of any walls of hardness.
Okay, here we go.
So many times, our relationship with God can be viewed as similar to that of a child with a parent. (And as much as we like to be in control sometimes, we are the "child" in this relationship and God is the "parent" - not the other way around.) If you are a parent (and even if you're not, you have had parents!), you can probably identify with some of the similarities. Children can be rebellious at times. Even if it is not outright rebellion, children push limits, test boundaries, and like to venture out on their own at times. We all do this with God as well. Just as kids get in tough situations and have to deal with the consequences of their decisions (or SHOULD be made to deal with the consequences), so must we all deal with the consequences of our own pushing limits, testing boundaries, and trying to do things on our own - rebellion. If children are not given consequences, they won't learn the lessons needed to grow and mature into responsible adults who can live with integrity and get along with others. If we don't persevere through hardships that present themselves in our lives, we will not grow and mature into those worthy to be called as members of the family of God.
If everything went the way we wanted them to all the time, would we really love and trust God more? Or would we think we don't need God, because everything is all good? I tend to think it would be the latter. Yes, I succumb to times of wishing everything would be "perfect": that people would all get along and speak kindly to each other, considering others; that we'd get everything done correctly and in time; that the weather wouldn't interfere with our plans; that the government would work effectively; that we'd have enough money to do some different things whether they be for added comfort or fun. Oh, I'm sure I could go on. But again, that is not God's will for us. Even if we believed that if everything went right we would love God more, that's not what God wants. He wants us to CHOOSE to love Him, even when things get hard. He doesn't want "robots" who just love Him because that's what He made them to do. He wants us all to have free choice. Think about this idea in regard to your other relationships. What if your significant other/child/parent only loved you because they had to, because they had no other choice? Would you really feel loved? What about having friends just because they had to be your friends? Wouldn't you rather them choose to be with you because they like you, enjoy you, care for you? Love that is chosen is much more meaningful than forced love would be. Forced love isn't really love, is it?
Disasters and difficulties do hurt. Sometimes, they cause people to fall away from God, but they can also serve to draw people to Him. I think the difference between the two is a person's attitude and perspective. If you are looking only at the problem and for solutions around you, then you will lose hope and think that even if there is God, then He is mean, unloving, uncaring. If you are looking for the good in the midst of the circumstances and straining to see the good on the other end, then you will have a more hope and peace. If you are looking for goodness throughout, especially if you ask God to reveal it to you, then you will find it.
One thing my family is going through right now is the soon-to-come death of my grandfather. We have lost eight other family members as well as at least five others in the last four years - my whole son's lifetime. It can be hard and some people would approach it with despair. They could cry out about how unfair it is to be losing this person, how they don't know how they can go on afterward. They would cry for themselves and the other person. Now, don't get me wrong: there is nothing wrong with crying and grieving. It is okay to be sad and miss the other person. It is okay not to understand why you have to go through certain circumstances, and it is okay to tell God that you don't understand that. You can even ask Him to reveal some reasons to you. Just know that God may not always tell you the reasons - or may wait until a time much later to reveal them. Some of the goodness that I can hold onto during our current circumstance: (1) I know Grandpa believes in Jesus, is not afraid of death, and is ready. (2) We know where he's going and we'll see him again some day. (3) We know his suffering is coming to an end soon. (4) We are getting the opportunity to spend some more time with him before he passes - something we haven't gotten in other instances.
I know when my father died suddenly a little over a year ago, many people said they were impressed by how well my family was handling it. My step-mother, siblings, etc. all had peace and could see the goodness throughout the circumstances, even though we were grieved about the loss of sharing life with him. We know where he is. We kept picturing him in God's throne room, rejoicing and singing loudly before Him. I tell you, my dad would be jubilant - bouncing, jumping, shouting, and singing with such great joy and happiness! How can we despair, knowing the joy that he had? I can say I would have more grief for someone who dies without knowing Jesus. The heart aches in a different way for these individuals.
Here are some points I got from a study called Always True by James MacDonald (hereafter JM) that I found to pertain to this topic. Maybe they'll be helpful to you, too.
- We tend to believe that God is good only when life is going well for us. JM wrote, "God is too good and He loves us too much to limit His great work in our lives to our small and narrow expectations."
- Suffering can be for our good and spiritual growth. If we are living our lives in complete comfort, that growth will likely not happen. Because we live in a world full of sin that has fallen away from God, then we can expect some suffering to occur. JM says, "God's good purposes include His commitment to use all of life's circumstances to bring us to maturity and completeness in Christ."
- JM wrote, "Everything He allows, everything He withholds, every difficult season, every stretching circumstance, He means for your good." (I'm also reminded that not everything that happens is about/for us personally. Sometimes we may go through something so that someone else may receive the benefit or grow from it. This applies to blessings as well as suffering. It is not always about just us!)
- God is more interested in our growth in wisdom, character-development, and moving toward righteousness than He is in us knowing all the details of our situation. JM says, "How much would you depend on Him if you already knew the answer to everything?...If you believe He is good and is working out your life for your good, you don't need to know all of the details now."
- Our relationship with Jesus deepens when we go through struggles while trusting Him.
I pray that these thoughts are helpful for someone reading this. I pray that someone is able to open their heart to God with vulnerability to trust and look for His goodness in the hard times. I hope to hear from some whom this reached.
Readings: James 1:2-4, 12, Hebrews 12:7-8, 11 (verses 5-11 might all be helpful to you); Proverbs 3:11-12, Romans 8:28, Psalm 34:8, Jeremiah 29:11-13, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 9-10
