My latest email from Jess:
One of the points you made has stuck with me through these past couple of weeks and I still cannot wrap my thoughts around it. You spoke of the evil that God has us dealing with here on Earth, but you don't think it's an intentional guinea pig scenario. I would LIKE to believe this, but I always come back to the question that seems so cliche: A child dies. Yes, there might be a lesson of love and understanding for the people who must survive this baby. But what about the suffering the baby had to experience? Now, what makes sense to me is that our bodies are created in the image, but are flawed. Death is inevitable too...but I just can't see how God plays a part in such tragic situations. Please help me understand how you keep glorifying God every time you see your baby boy in pain from his condition. I do NOT know how you do it....but I sense that your faith gives you peace regarding this situation as well, so maybe that's all it takes to believe in times like that???
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Jess sent me this email quite some time ago. I thought I had an answer, but the more I've tried to write it out, the less I feel I can do the answer justice. Anyone want to help out? I will add my thoughts soon. I've just been doing a lot of thinking...
3 comments:
God is bound by his own laws. If nothing bad ever happened to anybody, what would we learn? He tests us to see if we will remain with him. Does that make sense? Some people go through such hardships that they turn away from God, angry and hurt. Does this help them? I think that the blessings he gives us in life outweigh the pain. Having the spirit with me makes the natural hardships that happen in life just a little easier to bear. They are going to happen, whether we choose to have God in our life or not. That is just a part of life, to feel pain and to learn from it. It doesn't make sense why little children have to suffer. I do think a lot of people come away from difficult trials like that with a better understanding of God and his love for us.
I'm with Heather. I have written and erased several things and I think that I need to think on it a little more. I'll come back. I hope what I've said has helped, not hindered.
I would like to say that I have doubts all the time about why this is allowed to happen, if God is all loving why then do children get abused. Right are you with me?
But ALL that I can answer is it is the SIN of THE WORLD that allows these things to happen. NOT God. See he gave us our EDEN and we wanted the KNOWLEDGE. That bite of the apple opened the us up to the world.
When we rely on God, we are asking for peace that comes only from KNOWING Him. We are not MEANT to be in this world forever...years of suffering here, say a loss of a child, will be THAT much sweeter to rejoice when we are in our heavenly world. and all he askes us to do is TRUST HIM. Trust that through our pain and suffering we WILL see the glory someday.
Sometimes I think that bad things happen to children because sin has us so desensitized, that the ONLY way He can get us to ASK questions about GOD is by shocking our system OUT of this world and making us search for answers...leading us to him. When we start asking about God we begin knowing him...that is the first step.
I just have to continually choose to believe that God is who He says He is; and we can't understand Him.
Secondly, faith is tested in the fire, not the hunky-dory times. We do live in a sinful world, and there are tons of consequences from that sin. I think it shows God's glory and grace when we continue to praise him despite our circumstances.
Didn't come out as easily as it was in my head, but maybe it's helpful!
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