Why, God?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

I have been doing a lot of thinking today regarding the F4 tornado that ripped through Oklahoma yesterday, killing 24 people, with 9 of them being children. I absolutely cannot fathom what those people are going through right now, losing homes, loved ones, and even jobs. But in times like these is also when people start asking “Why, God? Why do bad things happen to good people?” They wrestle with thoughts such as “Why would a loving God allow this to happen?”

I could write pages and pages about this, but the answer really comes down to this: Often we won’t see the bigger picture until we too pass on, but God uses these situations to help us grow. The Bible never promises that life will be easy, in fact, in promises just the opposite, that life will be hard. God has told us that we will face tough times and heartache. Have you heard the phrase “Beauty from ashes”? I think that phrase is very apt in these situations.

Take, for example, Mark Klaas. After his daughter’s murder he established the Polly Klaas foundation which organization that would help create better information flow about children that are missing, in the hopes that these children could be found before they are harmed. In the same thread, moms who had lost their children to drunk drivers organized Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.). Now M.A.D.D. distributes information, helps to host alcohol-free events for teens, and continues to strive toward eliminating drunk driving fatalities and reducing drunk driving in general. Without these personal tragedies, these organizations would never have been founded.

I have also read stories where mothers who lost their babies to stillbirth or genetic diseases that take the child’s life shortly after birth will donate their shower gifts to other mothers in need. Grandparents have fixed or built parks in memory of grandchildren who have died. And of course, there are those that choose to donate organs of loved ones who have passed away so that others may have the opportunity to live. These things would not have happened if the families had not had to go through tragedy.

Just think, the person who received the heart of a teenage girl who died in a car accident may go on to cure cancer. Or the boy who received a lung from a patient who died of a brain injury may go on to be a firefighter and save the lives of others.

Tragedy is a horrible thing, and it is one of those things that I pray you will never have to experience. If you do have to experience this though, remember, your loved one’s legacy and your life will create ripples that you will change the lives of the people around you. Of course, we won’t know the true depth of these ripples until we too find ourselves in Glory.

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