Ever Present

I must confess that I don't understand why bad things happen.

If God is always with us and sees everything, why doesn't He prevent tragedies and protect His beloved children?

Knowing God is the omnipresent creator of all of us, why is there darkness within us that sparks war, violence, and pain?

Jesus certainly had His share of trouble when He walked the Earth, and while He could have prevented all of His own suffering, He didn't.

His suffering certainly had a great purpose - that we know for sure.

But what about the rest of us? Why do we suffer?

Humanity has wrestled with these kinds of questions since, well, forever, and I am certainly not qualified to answer them.

I wish I could.

I also wish I could find a scripture or magic potion that we could access to prevent bad things from happening to good people.

I wish I could say that when you are the beloved child of God, you are guaranteed protection, and nothing terrible will happen to you or because of you.

If that were the case, churches would be bursting at the seams.

But the truth we know and the standard answer we often hear to our questions is that the world is fallen, and when humanity chose to disobey God, well, things did not go so well for us from then on.

So, here we are, trying to figure out how to make sense of this beautiful, broken world we find ourselves in.

I am no theologian, pastor, or understander of great biblical or spiritual truths.

Obvi.

So, like the rest of us, I wrestle with the whys and try to be a helper and find God's light in the darkness.

I don't know much, but I know this.

God is good, and His good is within us.  

His good is ever-present. Always with us.  

When bad things happen, we ask, "What is wrong with people?"

I shudder when I hear that, and my naive unicorn-flying rainbows-in-the-sky optimism wants to scream that most people are wonderful and good.

And yet, when terrible things happen, I can't pretend that evil is not present in our world, seeking to penetrate our minds and tear us apart.

It's understandable, therefore, to want to hide and protect ourselves from all the bad in the world.

I have often fantasized about "encouraging" my grown children to live with me forever and never leave the house so I can keep them safe. But we can't live in a bubble, as much as I know they would love the opportunity.

So, we have to live and get out there and be the good we seek to find.

God's ever-present goodness and love help us help others.

We have to get out there and make it better. We cannot hide.

There is light and darkness within us all beloved.

We choose which one we give attention to.

As we continue to wrestle with these questions on our journeys from the ashes, I'm so grateful God's goodness and love are ever-present.

I pray that we, the beloved children of God, are strong enough to be what is right with people and to be the light, hope, and good in the darkness.

If we ever needed you, Lord, it's now.

Psalm 46: 1-3

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Proverbs 3:5-7

Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart

and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways, know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.