Why?

When our children are little they ask the question why about every five minutes - or at least it seems that often when you are in the midst of those years! :) Sometimes those why questions are hard to answer because we either do not understand the how behind the why, or, because that precious and precocious little child doesn't want to know the answer, they just want to talk and have you listen.

When we get older some of our Why questions are just as difficult to answer. Why did our friend lose their job? Why was our loved one in a car wreck, why do bad things happen to good people? Those why questions can be a whole lot harder to answer!

If we look at what God tells us about people in His Word, the Bible, we begin to understand some of the answers to those tough adult why questions. God made each of us with free will - the ability to choose our actions. We are people, not Barbie dolls. Because of that freedom, we can choose to do good to others, or choose to do bad. Yes, it stinks that not everyone in the world thinks of other people before themselves, but it is the truth we see lived out every day. That person who was in a car wreck? Often that is because someone else was putting themselves first and choosing to drive recklessly. When a job ends, it might have been in a cost-cutting measure, or it might be because someone higher up in the company did not get along with our friend and asked to have them removed.

The deeper answer we need to find to these tough questions is this: God is still in control of the universe. Though He allows us each to make our own decisions, He has a plan. And His plan will not be thwarted! This life, even though it seems long, is only temporary. Look to the eternal and glimpse a better life - it is coming.