A very dear friend to me asked me the other day, "How is it fair that she gets the perfect boyfriend, perfect family, and has literally never had a single bad thing happen to her? Yet here I am: my parents are divorced, my ex is a jerk who cheated on me, and my best friend committed suicide. How is that fair? How do you explain that? There is no God in that." This is a tough question and one I have no place answering, because I don't know the answer. I don't understand why some people appear to have it all, and for others it seems that nothing can go right. There is one thing that I do know: God is good. When your circumstances are not ideal, God is still in the works weaving beauty out of tragedy.
"You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees." Psalm 119:68
It is so difficult in a time of tragedy to not turn the blame on God and ask why is he doing this specifically to me. However, this is exactly the opposite mindset that we should have. God is not punishing you. Remember, Man brought sin into this world. One of the greatest things I heard from a friend is, "God did not create us for this world, the human race was not created to live in a sin filled world. We chose that. Yet, He still chose to send His son down to this sinful world to bear the weight of our cross." That's the Gospel. God looked down on this sinful world and gave us mercy. Mercy that we did not deserve, that is incredible. So, the mindset of God punishing you is wrong. We can't understand God's plan. We can't understand why death, poverty, sex trafficking, and all of the other horrendous things going on in this world are happening. Instead, we need to focus on the mercy we were given that we did not and definitely will never deserve. It amazes me every day that I can sin over and over again, and yet the Heavenly Father still sees me as worthy and righteous.
So, when tragedy strikes, I ask you to get into The Word. Read the Bible, talk to God, surround yourself with people that will lift you up, and make the conscious effort to choose joy. Joy is something we can choose every single day despite the circumstances, because the fact is, we deserve nothing but the evil of this world. God's mercy is the most beautiful thing in the world and outweighs all of the tragedies that could happen. Here are some verses that I have found helpful in difficult times (if you have verses/passages that help you through tough times, please share them with me!!):
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him,for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
Now, please don't get me wrong: this life is not easy. I understand that these Bible verses won't make it okay that one of your parents passed away or that you feel as if your life is falling apart. Death, poverty, war, and deceit are not good, but God is. You can be the light in that situation that brings others around you to Christ. There is nothing more powerful than to witness the difference in a nonbeliever dealing with tragedy compared to a believer. One of the most amazing events I have been able to witness this past year is my Christian friends dealing with death. They handled it with such grace and found the joy in their circumstances through their trust in Christ. This made my faith grow, and I can imagine that if I was a nonbeliever that it would have pushed me towards Christ. There are bigger things ahead for those who follow Christ. So, choose Joy. Choose to live like Christ. Imagine sacrificing your perfect, only son for the other sinful children? Could you do it? God sacrificed his only son for you and me so that we could be saved. So, no matter the circumstances in your life, God is always good. God is good, no matter what. As the lovely Hillary Scott sings, “It’s hard to count it all joy distracted by the noise, just trying to make sense of all Your promises. Sometimes I gotta stop, remember that You're God, and I am not. So, Thy will be done.” God has a larger plan; that doesn't mean that everything that happens is good, but it means that God can use your weakness to glorify him!
