“Welcome to Go[o]d Burger home of the Go[o]d Burger! Can I take your order?”
If you know what movie this line comes from then you might have a well-developed sense of humor. It’s more than just a cleaver play on words though. I’ve come to find that it’s what I subconsciously expect when I talk to God. I’m putting my order in, and that’s about it. Period. I’ve heard over and over again for the last year that prayer is a way to get to know the Lord. And even though he already knows what’s on our hearts, we’re still supposed to use that free will he gave us and offer it up to him through prayer.
In the last two weeks, He’s been lifting the veil for me on these things. Sometimes I feel like it takes me significantly longer to reach the same point as other people. Isn’t that just like life though? Thankfully, the Lord has used David Brockman to teach some hard truths for the past two weeks. There’s one topic in particular that has haunted me in my walk with Christ that I finally have an answer for:
Why does God let bad things happen to "good" people?
Let’s just say, I don’t have a hard and fast answer to this question, but I do have an understanding of it. I understand it as much as the limitations of my convoluted human knowledge will allow.
There’s been a phrase that Kennedy has used for about the last year: “I know nothing but Jesus Christ crucified,” [1 Corinthians 2:2]. And to be perfectly honest, that response has annoyed me on occasion. Sometimes it felt like he was just dodging the question or avoiding getting into the weeds of a topic. When I turned that annoyance inward, I discovered that I was uncomfortable with his comfort in not knowing. I wanted to know all the answers and I needed him to want to know also so he could help me find them. I didn’t know how to be comfortable standing on what I did know already, and that knowledge alone.
To answer the question above, you first have to understand that “good” people don’t exist. They may be good by the world’s standards, but those standards hold no weight when it comes to matters of eternity. The only thing good about me is Jesus. He’s the perfect example of what’s good and if I claim to be anywhere close to good, than I’m surely mistaken. So, this changes the question to:
Why does God let bad things happen to [His] people?
In the traditional Western church, it’s not uncommon to hear an altar call. It’s a call to believe that Jesus died for us and forgave our sins and to confess it with your mouth while believing it in your heart. It’s when people come to know Jesus as Savior; that He’ll save them from eternal damnation [hell]. And that’s all right and good, but there’s so much more to the equation after that initial prayer. I know that when I came to believe in Jesus as a kid, it was so I could be saved and go to heaven with my family. I’ve come to find out, not all that long ago, that believing in Jesus and proclaiming His victory over death stretches far beyond that. Not going to hell is a very MINOR fringe benefit when you dive deeper.
David Brockman said it best: “I don’t worship the Lord because of what He can do for me, but because he is good.”
That statement turned the key in my mind to unlocking a truth I didn’t know I needed. I don’t believe in and love Jesus because of what He can do for me, it’s because of what He already did for me. He hung on the cross for my sins because he's good. And that’s enough for me. Even if I never experience a blessing from Heaven again, the fact that the creator of the universe loves me is enough. And because that is enough, I am enough.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” – 1 John 4:18
To summarize this jumbled thought process, bad things will always be a part of life. Even if you’re a devoted follower of Jesus, you aren’t protected from the scaries of the world. Bad things happen here on earth because humans are inherently sinful. When Adam and Eve disobeyed a direct order from God, they brought all the hurt onto the earth. And as humans, we help perpetuate that because we too are just as sinful as Adam and Eve. Until we reach heaven, we’re vulnerable to everything on earth that can hurt us. The difference is this: no matter what happens to me, I have stored up treasures in heaven [Matthew 6:19-21]. My eternal fate is sealed and even if I make a choice that renders myself or my family uncomfortable or even causes them to suffer, that is only temporary suffering in exchange for eternity sitting at the right hand of God.
And now I finally understand why Kennedy clings to 1 Corinthians 2:2. I know nothing but Christ Jesus crucified because that’s where my hope lives. All of it. I can do nothing meaningful without him because the only things that matter are what brings the Kingdom of Heaven down to earth. It doesn’t matter how much property my house sits on or what year vehicle I drive, but it does matter what’s going on in my heart. And just to get one more tidbit of Brockman wisdom in: “What you know now is more important than what you don’t know. The most important thing we have to do [in life] is know Jesus more.” I don't know exactly why God lets bad things happen to people. Right now, I know nothing but Christ Jesus crucified and that’s more than enough for me.
Comments