Everything doesn't happen for a reason. Some things happen for a reason. If you make a poor choice and you reap the consequences then there is a reason for that. If you work really hard and see the fruits of your labor then you can know the reason for that. You see I believe that some things happen for a reason, but I don't think everything happens for a reason.
Here's why I came to this conclusion. Three years ago my wife and I went to a Dr.'s appointment to hear our babies heartbeat. When we showed up we were told that our baby had died. Over the next few days I started asking why? Why would God allow something like this to happen? What was the reason? I started driving myself crazy trying to figure out why this would happen. Did I do something wrong to make God angry? Was there some lesson that I needed to learn?
You see I don't believe that everything happens for a specific reason. I believe that we live in a fallen broken world where people get sick, bad stuff happens to good people, and Justin Bieber causes rioters...just joking about the Bieb. My wife's watching him on a talk show and it made me think it'd be funny to include him in that list.
I think our response to difficult situations shouldn't be to ask why. Instead I think we should try to apply 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." You see when we go through hard times our response should be to pray and give thanks. That's God's will for us. If you ask why it will drive you crazy, but if you seek God by praying you'll find joy. It's not easy, but it leads to a healthier place then the question why.
I don't agree - and I have a reason :O
ReplyDeleteI believe everything DOES happen for a reason. Do I have the answer why? ..well no. Somethings are beyond our comprehension as humans to understand why and you can bet Job wondered what he did to have everything happen to him and yet he never stop to question God? Jesus walking in the desert did not call out to God to be taken away from there he rebuked satan for interrupting God's will nor did he cry out during His crucifixion for rescue or understanding of what was the reason again?
I think many times the reasons are not obvious ...disease and pain in children are ones that baffle me beyond belief. Thanks for the huge downer this morning I will be watching for reason for everything all day now :(
Interesting post today. I do think I see your main point. But I do believe God uses everything for his grand purpose, whether our puny minds can comprehend what he is doing or not. It just might be possible, using your example of trying to start a family, that God is using this to bring you and M. closer together or that you were not meant to have a child as he wants to strengthen you as a student leader. Who knows. Just pray and seek him.
ReplyDeleteShamner, it isn't downer. If you read the book of Job he asks God for a reason and God doesn't give him one. Instead God gives offers him a relationship. Everything happens for a reason is pop culture not Biblical.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, I agree that God uses everything for His glory, but to say that God caused us to have a misscarriage to teach us a lesson makes God evil. What kind of God is that? Did God allow it to happen? Yes. But in my opinion God did not cause it to happen. My response is to find God in the middle of pain and see how He is there for me, loves me, and helps me get through all things.
ReplyDeleteinteresting take on that popular saying.. God's understanding & will is far above anything our minds can comprehend, whether it's specific reasoning or bigger-picture kinda stuff. just watching the news is enough to give somebody pause, in seeing all the pain/suffering that God allows due to our sinful nature
ReplyDeleteI never claimed it was biblical ..I am simply stating something that we humans want to understand is waaay to deep for us to focus. I prefer to focus on where we go from here rather then focus on why why why of the past.
ReplyDeleteJob asked why it was happening but did not question or turn his back on God (was my point).
I think it was Huckabee answering questions from Bob Maher )the atheist) on why God allows bad things to happen if they happen for a reason why don't we blame God ...Huckabee responded the best I have ever heard and shut Maher up.. He stated 'I do not know why these things happen BUT I know what God has done for me' no one can take away your testimony ever.
Maybe it allows you to speak with sympathy to people who have had difficulty conceiving or to parents who have lost a child ...a understanding far beyond what you would in the past(IDK 4 years ago?).
Or
Maybe suddenly adoption becomes the solution for you or sympathy to those that have adopted.
Not trying to take things out of context so:
Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I will tell you this childbirth is meant to be hard, painful, and difficult. That is why childbirth is a miracle. My ex-wife and I chose to adopt ..and I would not trade my boys for the world. My divorce led me to WEC and that has led me to find the love of my life.
I believe in my life everything happens for a reason. I was married, I adopted 2 boys after trying to conceive; we divorced (a sin) and now I am back on track and doing God's will instead of my own. I believe your answer to Daniel is what I was trying to communicate with my first post :)
Shamner, I'm not sure we are that off on our points. I do think that God can use a situation like we went through for all the reasons you listed. That's why God is so great. I just don't want to think that it happened so that we would want to adopt. I know you are not saying the following but it could lead to this thought... God allowed us to get pregnant and then caused the baby to die so that we could be taught a lesson. If God is the great Father what kind of lesson would that be? It'd be like you getting a new dog for your kids. A dog that they love! After a few weeks, to teach them a lesson you let the dog out of the house and run over him with a car. Then you don't tell your kids why you did it. You just hope they find the reason and understand. On the other hand if the dog just happened, because of free will, to run out of the house and get hit by a car you would respond to your kids. You would hold them, cry with them, and help them through it. You might even teach them some lessons about life. That's my understanding of God. He uses all things to the good, but that's different than saying there is a reason for why it happened. If there is a reason that God killed our baby, other than the fact that we live in a fallen world, I don't want to know it. The Bible doesn't give a reason to everything. The Bible doesn't give a reason to why we go through certain situations. My point is that I don't need a reason. Stuff is going to happen and if I search for God instead of the reason I'll find Him.
ReplyDeletePaul says in Col 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church..." Christ's death was sufficient, but what Paul is referring to is and endtimes idea called "The woes of the Messiah"-that there is a set amount of suffering in human history and he gladly absorbs what suffering comes to him. He does this because he sees pain as displays of mercy from God, not acts of penance. Romans 8 tells us there is no condemnation in Jesus...from my own struggles I recognize my pain as mercy because it allows me to see how desperately I need Jesus every moment of my life. I'm not saying I like pain or that in the middle of it I'm at a loss...just a thought
ReplyDeleteGood post Rob... I would push back on your response that God uses everything for his glory... Human history has a myriad of atrocities that can have no explanation other than we live in a broken world that is allowed free will and there is an enemy of our souls with a powerful influence.
ReplyDeleteLove can only be freely given... if creation was not allowed freedom God could never have our hearts. Job is a great example of this idea. And yes God does restore Job, but his family was still dead... in sone events there is no glory even when God brings you through.
DP, very true. Good thoughts.
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