Ever asked God why bad things happen? To you? To your loved ones? To a whole country? Me too. All the time. But sometimes I wonder if the better question would be, “Why not me?”
God never promises us that we’ll be exempt from life’s hardships. In fact, he pretty much says the opposite. Many reasons exist, but let’s go with this for now:
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. . . . Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matt. 5:11-12, 16
In our suffering, part of what God wants is for us to learn lessons about trusting him and living through pain. He also intends for us to use those lessons to help others who follow along behind us. What good is learning lessons about godliness if we keep them to ourselves?
In a country where more than half of marriages end in divorce, why should my family be exempt? I thought I did everything right, but maybe that’s not what I should be asking myself. The only thing that God has promised to me through this is that he will somehow, sometime, someway work this mess out to be a message for his glory and for my good.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18
Maybe instead of asking, “Why me?” we should instead be asking ourselves, “Why not me? How can God’s light shine through me during this time?”
What do you think?
If you want to read more in depth about the whys of suffering and ugliness in our world, I highly recommend the book The Beauty of God for a Broken World: Reflections on the Goodness of the Bod of the Bible by Dr. John K. LaShell.
Thanks, Bethany 🙂
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You’re welcome. 🙂
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I love your take on this subject Bethany, what a beautiful way of turning potentially “woe is me” circumstances into what God really wants for us.
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Thanks, Sarah. Trust me, I have plenty of woe is me moments!! I keep preaching to myself what I wrote today though.
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Thank you for your heartfelt words and the powerful verses you share. May God help us to always be seeking HIm and going deeper with Him no matter if our circumstances are hard or easy. Bless you!
Susan
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Thanks, Susan. Bless you, to!
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God began answering my why questions after I stopped asking. The why’s keep us focused on ourselves instead of God, though a natural reaction when life smacks us in the face. Great post Bethany! Glad I found you.
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You are so right, Karen!
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so many times we ask God Why? Like little children we need proof, instead of trusting in His love for us and that nothing is too much for Him to handle. thanks for sharing ❤
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Thanks for stopping by Teresa. 🙂
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