This is one
of the biggest questions that people cannot understand about God.
Why is life
so hard?
Shouldn’t
God be taking care of us?
If He loves
us, why isn’t He taking away all the hurt?
Here are
some brief thoughts on the matter:
- This world is not perfect. Sin runs rampant on earth. Selfishly people seek their own well-being, hurting others who get in their way.
- We are not in heaven. We would not long for heaven if we were living in paradise.
- God never promised an easy life. God has promised to take care of us and watch over us, but never to shield us from all hardship. It’s an unfortunate consequence of this earth. Jesus’ apostles had a difficult life and they never complained, but pressed on.
- Bad things happened to Jesus. If Jesus Himself could not escape hardship on earth, why should we?
- Bad things grow us, mature us and humble us. Bad things help us keep a proper perspective on life. There is some good in “bad.”
- God uses bad things to turn them into good things. God is glorified when things work out. He is hailed as a savior and redeemer.
- Bad things turn us to God. Without hardship, we would live in comfort and never need God to save us.
- Bad things are only temporary lessons. Heaven is the eternal reward for a lesson learned.
- The hardships of this life seem like they last forever, but they don’t.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
While we
should never ask God for bad things, we should thank Him for the lessons we
learn from them.
We should
not/cannot run away from them, but we can face the hard times of life head on,
knowing God is in control and He has the power to bring good from the bad.