my NEW opinion of "Why bad things happen to good people"

So last weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to witness and take part in some of the incredible work that true heroes are doing in the name of Christ. Countless volunteers were willing to give their vacations and retirements not to golf in Florida, but rather to make a difference and leave an impact on a hurting community. These noble heroes stepped into the disaster zones from the recent tragic tornadoes that struck Indiana and Kentucky.

Images and videos do not do justice to the visual of entire communities laying in ruin and only chimney's protruding from the ground where there was once someone's home. Not just a house, but a home. Not merely a shelter, but memories, and family treasures which were dashed away in a moment by the power of nature. And these heroes entered into their world now lost, and with their words they spoke words of comfort and encouragement. With their hands they began the slow and painful process of clearing away the shambled homes and debris that lay across the countryside, and took the initial steps toward rebuilding the lives of countless people. Some they merely walked alongside through this painful experience. Others these heroes carried along into the frontier of new beginnings...reminding them that we do not forget the past, but remember that God holds great things in store for our tomorrows.

And so this experience has given me a new perspective on a fundamental question in Christianity, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" My answer used to be simply because we live in a fallen world, and our sinfulness creates bad experiences in this life for the other people around us. Someone loses their job because someone else lied about something or made selfish decisions. Someone loses a child because someone else commits murder. You get the idea. Also, since the fall of man into sinfulness in the garden, the world in which we live also bears the consequences of our sin. The ground began producing thorns, and mankind began abusing the earth. Now, the earth too is withering away into chaos.

But this answer is no longer sufficient for me. Indeed, I believe now that God still does not create tragedy, but that He IS glorified through it! And so, while God could stop the storms in life from coming, I do not believe that He should. I say this for two reasons. First, through the tornado disaster, I was able to witness a global community of believers unify and join together in a Holy cause of giving relief and expressing love where there was none. I was moved when I looked upon a hillside to see and army of people in orange shirts coming together to do their part to make the world a better place. When God's people are unified, His name is Glorified.

Second, and this is difficult to express without having gone through the tragedy first hand, but I believe that the men and women I met who are victims of the tragedy are better off for eternity because they will have walked through this season of disaster. God's purpose in our life isn't to make us prosperous, but to sanctify us...to make us more like Jesus. On the day I was a part of this relief effort, I had the opportunity to be a part of a conversation where two individuals crossed over from death into life. Many more I talked with had a reinvigorated hope and passion for life. Never again will they take for granted the blessings of this life. In the few weeks Samaritans Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Rapid Response Team was on site, over 30 people discovered God's love for them for the first time, and a multitude more were reminded that possessions aren't the most important thing to live for. God was praised in the midst of this tragedy, and when God is praised, His name is Glorified.

It is for these reasons that I believe bad things happen to good people. No, God does not cause or create disaster. Nor does he prevent it. Because for most people, it will take bringing their life into shambled pieces analogous to a tornado ravishing a home in order to realize that there is a God, and that His Glory is all that matters. And even more so, it is in His name being Glorified that I can experience true joy and happiness. For everything else in life...there is insurance.