Sometimes Life Stinks

I have a friend who is asking for prayer. In just a few sentences I learned that he was expecting baby number two and that the Dr. said they may have had a miscarriage.

I have another friend whose family moved to VA because of a new job. After a few months here the business closed. They are now trying to sell their house so they can move back home. They have no family here, no income, and because of the Housing Market they are struggling to sell their home.

I have another friend who took a job on a leap of faith. He took a job before he sold his house. About six months later his house has still not sold. Almost every weekend he drives four hours to be with his family. Every weekend he has to leave his family to drive back four hours to his job.

Sometimes life stinks.

Monica, (my wife) and I were told that without some type of medical assistance we would not get pregnant. In 2007 without any medical assistance we found out we were pregnant. It was a miracle. The day we found out we were scheduled to go to our first consultation with a fertility specialist. We knew it was going to cost a lot of money so the day of the appointment, on a whim, Monica took a pregnancy test. It was positive. It was the cheap Wal-Mart kind. I didn't trust it so I made her take one again. It was positive. I still didn't trust it so we went out and bought a name brand test. Three tests later and they all gave us the plus sign. We quickly canceled the Fertility Specialist appointment. We new this was a miracle baby. Seven weeks later as we were trying to hear our baby's heartbeat the Dr. told us that our baby had died.

Sometimes life stinks and there are no answers.

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't believe God caused these things to happen. I also don't believe that we lost the baby because of anything we did. It was life in a broken world. Bad things happen...even to people who love God.

The natural question that comes out in times like this is why? I believe God is big enough to handle the why question. But I also don't believe that God will always give us that answer. The question is basically asking is it God's will that we go through unexplainable difficulty? Does God allow bad things to happen? Yes. But that is different than saying He caused it.

As a Christ Follower who has gone through difficult situations I have found comfort that I know what God's will is. The Bible says, Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus I Thess. 5:16-18. God's will is that no matter what life throws at you if you want to survive...pray.

I've found peace knowing that God is in control, loves me, and has a plan. Because I know He loves me I can find joy even when life stinks. It doesn't make it easy. After the tears settle, after I ask all my questions to God, after I beg for Him to intervene...God gives me strength to find His will. Pray continually and God somehow gives strength to endure life when it stinks.