Why do bad things have to happen? This is a question that we always ask when dealing with tragedy, yet I don’t believe there is a clear, cut and dry answer. Or at least an answer that we would like to hear. The reality of tragedy is a simple part of life. There are good days and there are bad. We tend to look at the bad and accept it as a reason for the good, like it’s a requirement for the good. A punishment from God for wanting days without a problem. As I write this, I want to speak to those who have experienced great tragedies. Those who have been through Hell and stand here to tell the story of their tragedy. Know that you aren’t a victim! Again, I’ll say it. You are not a victim!

There's a lot of darkness in this world. People are being sold into slavery, people are being slaughtered every day simply for what they believe. Crime rings are all over the place. War threats are among us. Statistics tell us that every minute, at least 20 people are physically abused. One in five women will be raped in their lifetime. This world we live in is cold and dark. On top of that, we have people who are homeless, families that are struggling, etc.

For all who have been through Hell, you are not alone and what happened to you? There’s a reason for it. It’s a hard concept to swallow. I’ve had my own share in tragedy. I grew up in a family that struggled financially. I was physically and emotionally abused. A good friend of mine committed suicide. It’s hard for us to make sense of these things. They always lead us to the question, why did this have to happen? Or even, why would God allow this?

The Bible gives us insight in to this. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Paul tells us that the Lord works all things together for good. Not just some, but all. We can even go back to the story of Joseph when his brother sold him in to slavery. When he saw his brothers again, he told them, “What you intended for evil, God intended for good.” The tragic events that happen in our life are known by the Lord, and He will work them together for good. Now in the moment, it's hard to grasp that. When we experience this event and feel like a helpless victim, it's hard to grasp this concept that we're actually victors in the time we feel like victims, but the truth is, we need to look to Christ.

Jesus suffered. He was rejected by His own people, eventually tortured and killed because of His own people. Yet, if He never suffered, we wouldn’t have a Savior. Jesus had to suffer and die in order for us to obtain salvation. All of this pain in the world is a result of sin. This is not what God intended, but as Ecclesiastes 7:29 says, “Only this have I found that God make men upright but they have gone in search of many schemes.” God made us good, but because of our own selfishness, we ended up sinning.

Because of that, we were thrown out of the Garden and our world was transformed drastically, and these new variables of pain and tragedy were introduced. Thus, the penalty for sin was death. To defeat that death, an innocent, sinless man had to become sin and die. The very thing that killed him was our sinful hearts, yet God used those sinful hearts to carry out His plan. It's the same for all of us. The tragic events that happen in our life are a part of God’s plan and springboard us to a new level. Because of the events in my past, I have become stronger and I can counsel others who deal with tragedy.

Don’t let your past sorrows defeat you anymore. Trust in God and realize there is beauty in tragedy. We call that beauty Jesus Christ.