Imagine you are driving down the road and a man runs a red light. Your brand new car is totaled and there is nothing you can do about it. Or lets say that your grandfather fights lung cancer for five years and then loses the battle. It is a knee jerk reaction to blame someone when something happens that is out of your control. But why blame God? God is not the one who ran into you on the road. He is not the one that gave your grandfather cancer or broke your heart in middle school.
God does not hurt people; people hurt people. If you go back to your early Sunday School days and think about the story of Adam and Eve, you will remember that they were the first to ever sin. When sin entered the world people became self-seeking, rude, and jealous. The consumption of sin in people’s heart created sinful reactions. When sinful reactions occur, people get hurt. Now, why doesn’t God save us from our hurt?
What about the child who is kidnapped? Or the single mom whose husband ran out on her family?
Why would a God of such love do this?
He doesn't. God doesn't want that sin to be forced upon them. He didn't tell the man to leave his family, or the serial killer to continue murdering. God doesn't create sin or tempt people to sin. He doesn't make people rude, selfish, and inconsiderate. If He had it His way we would all be patient, kind, and peaceful. If everything went the way He wanted it, there would be no sin. BUT we are not perfect. We are sinful. And when sin is hidden in our hearts, we hurt each other.
There is Hope
Thankfully, He intervenes in every situation. It may not be the answer we want... God didn't keep my grandfather from suffering. He didn't stop the man from totaling my brand new car... but he does save us. He took my grandfather home. He blessed him with a wonderful life and took him to an even happier place. God protected me in my wreck by holding me off for half a second to keep me from serious injury. God may not keep people from doing terrible things, but He heals every situation. He didn't cause any of those things to happen, but he picks us up and makes us feel our true worth.
God takes every broken situation and shows us how beautiful we are. He shows us How we are His children and how He will never forsake us. When bad things happen because of people, God allows us to grow. He lets us bend but He will never let us break.
Each time we are hurt, God begins to pursue us and make us fall in love with Him all over again.
When sin entered the world, God had a plan to change the brokenness that people had created. He sent His son, Jesus, into the world to wash our sin away. He took a broken world and made it beautiful. God allowed people to make many mistakes and hurt each other for decades before He saved them...but he always saved them.
It doesn't matter what a person does or how they hurt you... God will change it into something beautiful. He will always save you from whatever you are going through if you seek Him first. This doesn't mean that you will not hurt or be unhappy, but it does mean that it will never be more than you can take. If He can save the world, what makes you think he can't save your broken heart?
