Last week on a plane I met a woman with an amazing story. She was in a bad car wreck three years ago that left her surprisingly with no injuries, but the MRI’s revealed that this non-smoker had a grapefruit size tumor in her lung. If she had waited a few weeks longer the cancer would have spread and she wouldn’t have been on the plane next to me.
After finishing this story she said, “Everything happens for a reason.”
This popular phrase sounds nice, but I just don’t think I can agree. It would be tough for me to see the reason for some of the atrocious acts in our world. Though I do think that every moment carries with it the potential for something good to come out of it or in spite of it. There might not be a reason while someone experiences something bad, but I do think something good can come out of it.
What say you, does everything happen for a reason?
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9 comments:
Its a cliche. And the horrible thing about cliche's is that they betray a sense of being shallow or unexamined. But, annoyingly, for the most part they tend to be true.
I think that one thing we can carry away from Scripture is that "reason" and order are woven into the fabric of the cosmos. Looked at properly, that is perhaps the main emphasis of Genesis 1.
And, yes, there are some senselessly horrible things that happen in the world. And sometimes the reason for them is just that we are stupid. But that is a valid reason.
I think one of my worst nightmare's would be to get to heaven and realize that the "shallow" bumper sticker theology actually might be right.
I do think God has an amazing ability to work in even the most awful situations.
A friend once sent this to me:
"...from Joel Osteen (of all people): 'We may never know 'why' bad things happen, but if we're going to be God's people, we've got to let that go and serve Him anyway.' I have had to give the 'bad' things up that way. If my faith is what I hope it is, I'm going to continue my walk with the Lord. A more trustworthy source of encouragement: I Peter 1:3-9 which says 'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade...kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith...of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire...may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.' This passage pretty much tells us why we have trials--so that our faith may be proved genuine."
To me, this explains how we should react to 'bad' things. But I have thought about this quite a bit recently and although I used to, I don't believe the cliche anymore. I do believe God has a hand in our lives as long as we trust him and allow him to lead us. When we stray and are "stupid" there are natural consequences that God has nothing to do with. He expects this in our lives and allows us to deal with these consequences, hoping we will grow in faith, but I don't believe that these things are put in place by him.
Kippa- I agree, I think God wants us to grow through all the trials we go through even if God doesn't place them in my life.
Good words, bro.
These are words that need to be heard.
I'm not saying I agree with the cliche. But I'm not sure I agree with your reason for disagreeing with it. ;) Just because we can't imagine purpose or reason in horrible atrocities doesn't mean it's not there. It doesn't mean it IS there, either, by the way! I just think we have got to come up with a better reason for dismissing God's hand in (or allowance of) suffering than "I can't imagine a God who acts that way." (which is essentially saying, "I wouldn't do that if I were God!" - which is a tad childish and arrogant if you ask me) So what if we can't imagine it or don't like it! Is that really our basis for deciding how God works or doesn't work? Whether we're comfortable with it or not? Again, not saying I agree with the cliche - I just think we should have a better reason for dismissing it so easily.
Anonymous-
Thanks for your thoughts. I think one can say they cannot imagine God doing something and not mean that God is tied to their own propensities. I couldn't imagine God acting a certain way because of how scripture testifies to God's actions (most clearly scene in Jesus). The way that God reveals himself to us does give us the ability to humbly assume what he might do and not do.
Wasn't the purpose of Jesus' parables to enable us to envision the nature of God?
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