I don’t know why sometimes bad things happen to good people. I don’t get it, understand it, nor typically, usually like it. I don’t know why perceived good things happen to some people and bad things happen to others. I don’t know why some people “have all the luck” and others seem to have close to none. I don’t know.
I do know that I am incapable of being the distributor of those good and bad things. I am incapable of leveling the playing field. And I am incapable of “playing god,” so-to-speak. I am not omniscient, omnipotent, nor anything close.
I have come to a place, when I don’t like the circumstances, where I know I must trust in God’s sovereignty — accepting what I cannot change, having courage to change what I can, and praying for the wisdom to know the difference.
I thank God for our blessings — for yours and for mine, recognizing they are different — and I ask for strength when life is hard or makes little sense — also, for you and for me. I try to thank God whenever I can… thanking him most, because he is trustworthy. He is omniscient and omnipotent, even though we are admittedly not.
I think we have a lot of trouble with that last phrase — that we are not omniscient and omnipotent. While there certainly is a time and a place to be bold and courageous and learn to fight for what’s right, sometimes I sense a demandingness which has permeated our pursuit; there’s a finger pointing that becomes more prominent than any self-examination. We become demanding. Demandingness seems to fly in the face of a sovereign God.
Recently, my family and I took an extended trip South. We were no further than 45 minutes from home, when the first potentially awful experience unfolded right before our eyes…
In five full lanes of traffic, near rush hour, at speeds in excess of 75 m.p.h. (shhh — don’t tell my mother), we were fairly close to bumper to bumper, when I first saw it. Three cars right in front of me, in the far left lane, the four door gold sedan got too far left, crossing over the pavement rumble strips on the side of the road. Overcorrecting, the driver lost control of his car, shooting him then too far right, at which time he was tagged and turned by an oncoming semi. He went across two more lanes of traffic, apparently then hit by another car.
Those of us who were behind had to decide instantaneously how to respond. Now semi-shaken, I dove left, also over the rumble strips, slamming on my brakes, praying not to hit the car in front of me or that the car immediately behind would ram into me. All five lanes came to an abrupt halt, with the driver seemingly ok, but significant pieces of the vehicle heavily strewn across the highway.
Still shaken, only six miles later, we were discussing how fortunate we were in that situation and how easily that could have been far worse. I then looked in my side mirror, only to see an SUV heading straight for me, about to make contact! I was now in the middle lane, with slightly lighter traffic, but the car was half in my lane, half in the far left lane; he was coming right at me!
I swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding contact. The SUV then flew right past me, with my impression that the driver seemed oblivious to the perilous scenario that was avoided, no thanks to him. He sped on by, with zero eye contact or acknowledgement, noticeably still drifting at a speed of over 80 m.p.h.
My spouse and I discerned that something must be wrong; hence, we made the decision to speed up, seeing if we could get a license plate number. But as soon as we made that decision, the black SUV slammed into the pickup in front of him! Again, we darted left to avoid the debris field; pieces from both vehicles now adorned the highway. Again — thank God — it looked like all were ok.
I don’t know why bad things happen to good people. I don’t know why sometimes we’re included and sometimes we’re narrowly not; sometimes I think we are far closer to being included than we will ever know. But I do humbly believe, as I did on the road recently, for example, that in all things, through the obvious blessings and obvious challenges, God is still sovereign.
There is a time to give thanks… and a time to ask for strength. I’m not sure there’s ever a time to become demanding.
Respectfully…
AR
Sounds like your guardian angels were working overtime, and for that, this friend who adores you, finds herself over-the-moon grateful! One bad choice can have disaterous consequences, and it doesnt mean the person making the choice is a bad person. Sometimes Mothers get cancer and are cured, so e mothers don’t get it at all, while others fight the good fight and lose the battle…at the end of each day, though, irregardless of our circumstance, you and I are abundantly blessed, by unworldly measures…Heavens. There are days when I say….Satan, get behind me, because the one who is for me is greater than you, and other days when I scream at him Bring your worst….because I have on the full armor of God. Spend each day grateful for the ways in which God’s love has protected you and those you love from dangers seen and unseen…because He goes before each trial, each suffering, each tragedy and filters it first…without him…they would be unbearable.
Thanks, dear!!