When Bad Things Happen

I don't like it when bad things happen. Nobody does. Especially when it happens on a large scale or to someone we love. It can make us angry at God. Or, beg the question, "Why God? Why did you allow this bad thing to happen?"

But, here's the shocker. Bad things happening and evildoers have always been around. If you don't believe me, just read the Bible. Hello, that's God's book. And, God being in our lives will not stop things we see as evil or bad from happening. . . look at Luke 13. Those things occurred while Jesus was walking among the Israelites. So if evil is not new and may eventually find its way to our doorstep, how do we deal with it when it happens to us?

Last week I saw a city struggle with a threat to its children. Parents responded in a variety of ways. But the law enforcement officers rose to the occasion and kept each and every school safe. A lesson can be learned from this I feel.

It was a moment to learn where our weak point is. For most mothers our children are our weak point. We would rather die than see anything bad happen to any of our children. For fathers, their nature is to protect and do what they need to do to protect their heirs.

Some may ask, "Why has God allowed evil?" Well, it's not really God allowing the evil so much as he allows man to have free will. Free will to choose Jesus as Savior. And, free will to choose to follow the natural path of man that leads to various degrees of evil. Of course, many things are not seen as evil until it involves children, then it gets our attention.

But if your faith is in God, knowing he will take you only when your days are completed, then nothing can stop you from doing his will. Nothing can stop you from going into the world.

So this brings up the question, is death a bad thing?

To those living and breathing, death removes someone from our lives. We don't get to speak with them, or hug them, or even argue with them anymore. It brings a separation that some have trouble dealing with. On the other hand, death takes the person who leaves us to a spiritual plane where there is no fear because God's peace surrounds them. There is no anger because things are good and righteousness rules. There are no questions because God's presence brings all the answers.  Heaven celebrates when another soul joins them.

I don't want to sound like I'm down playing the anguish a parent feels when a child is lost to heaven, but I want to encourage us as parents to downplay the stigma of death being a bad thing. We will all die. . .some day.
 
When my children were young, as a way to keep them in line and safe, I told them they could fall and die if they continued the questionable activity they were performing. That usually got their attention. Then one day I was admonished by the Lord, "That's why people are afraid of death." I stood speechless. And from that day on I never spoke of death as being an awful result of an action.

As my mom approached the day of her death she shared what she was experiencing in the spiritual realm. She told me, "Be happy because it's all good. It's ALL good. Be happy."

As I grieve her passing I remind myself. . .it's all good where she's at. I still cry for her. And I still have an emptiness that only her pictures and paintings can fill. But it's all good. And some day. . .I'll be there. . .where it's ALL good.