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Does
God Cause Bad Things?
- Marsha Jordan
In
my work, I have the unfortunate experience of seeing many children die.
When this happens, many people talk about how God "took" the
child from this earth. That bothers me because I believe that God cannot
and does not cause anything bad. On the contrary, I believe that much of
the evil in our world comes from evil forces (the devil and his agents).
God is absolutely sinless and He never causes moral or spiritual evil.
However, He may allow bad things to happen -- even to innocent and good
people.
Giving his permission is NOT the same as causing something to happen. God
gave the devil permission to bring all kinds of calamity upon Job; but God
did not cause any of it.
Paul declared that God gave rebellious sinners over to their own
foolishness (Rom. 1:22), sensualism (vv.24-25), perversions (vv.26-27), a
debased mind (vv.28-29), and total heartlessness (vv.30-32). God did not
cause these people to go ever deeper and deeper into sin and degradation.
BUT He did permit it.
In the same way, He allows other negative things to happen in this world.
Is it not possible that as God observes human beings going deeper into sin
and rebellion that He gives the devil and his angels permission to bring
about natural disasters, destructive crimes, and wars, persecutions, false
religions, and plagues? I must admit that when it comes to suffering
children , I can see no reason or purpose in some of the heartbreaking
pain and sadness we witness. But that doesn't mean there is no divine
reason or purpose in it. We just don't see it.
Throughout history, I can see where people who have suffered greatly have
grown closer to God than they would have without that suffering. It does
tend to make a person realize their own inability to control anything and
their need to cling to the only one who has power to help them through
trials.
Jesus said that a man was born blind, not because of sin on the part of
anyone, but "that the works of God should be revealed in him" (Jn.
9:3). So God did not cause the blindness, but He did allow it so that
Jesus could heal him supernaturally and show his power to all who saw and
heard of the miracle. Having been blind myself for a time, I love this
story! Until that moment when the man was healed, no one knew why he had
been born blind. At that time in history, most people believed that
whenever someone was born with an affliction, it was a punishment for
their parents. And if something bad happened to adults, God was repaying
them for something bad they had done. But that's not how God works. He's
not looking down from heaven waiting for a chance to zap and hurt us.
The Bible says He loves us with an everlasting love and He wants to give
good things to His children. Therefore, we must often rest in the
assurance that God knows the answer to the question "Why?" even
when nobody else understands it. Hopefully, the day will come when we too
will know WHY -- when we meet God face to face. I'm just thankful that He
is a GOOD God and we can trust His judgement even when it makes no sense
to us. The bible says that we cannot comprehend his ways. They are higher
than our ways.
One thing I know for sure, no matter what bad things befall us, HE is
right there with us through it all and wants to help us get through it.
Jesus said "I am with you always."
June
2006
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marsha Jordan is a disabled grandmother, author, and shower singer who began her writing career on the bathroom walls of St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School. Now her writing appears in restrooms throughout the country.Jordan has two boys, ages 30 and 55. She's been married to the 55 year old for 31 years.
She's been held captive for a quarter of a century In the north woods of Wisconsin where she shares an empty nest with her rocket scientist husband
and their badly behaved toy poodle, King Louie who rules the household with an iron paw. Jordan, who has eaten enough chocolate to make the Guinness Book of Records, spends her days ignoring her dirty oven and dreaming of the things she'd like to do but probably never will -- including overcoming the trauma of class picture day in second grade. Her hobbies (besides eating and napping) include rubber stamping, collecting antiques, riding her pet pig Shirley, and studying do-it-yourself dentistry.
After her grandson was badly burned, Jordan created The HUGS and HOPE Foundation, a nonprofit charity devoted to cheering critically ill and
injured children.
Jordan's inspirational and humorous essays are available in her new book, "Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter." The book is illustrated with drawings by
kids who are battling for life. To learn more visit hugsandhope.org/pb.htm
By combining hope with humor and drawing upon her own experience of living
with chronic pain and depression, Jordan shares everyday experiences, lessons she's learned, and practical coping skills. Once active and
energetic, her busy schedule came to a halt when she fell victim to a connective tissue disease, causing migraines, fatigue,
fibromyalgia, and joint pain. Due to illness complications, Jordan was temporarily struck
blind; so she knows how it feels to be sick, in pain and afraid.
In her book, Jordan (Phyllis Diller wannabe) recounts her search for the perfect purse, camping adventures, aging without grace, and dealing with her "very male" husband. Some chapter titles include, "Limburger Attitude, "The Joy of Shopping," "Is Broccoli Hazardous?" and "Life in the Manure Pile."
Jordan has received many awards for her work with children, and was featured in Rosie Magazine as well as on WGN television's Unsung Heroes program. She's had devotionals and stories published in "A Cup of Comfort" and other anthologies. Her articles have appeared in "Heart Light" and "Obadiah" magazines. Jordan is a regular columnist for "Handmaidens" magazine and "My Walk With Jesus" Christian newspaper; and she has contributed to over 50 online newsletters and e-zines, such as "Heart Warmers," "Power to Share," and "Warm Fuzzy Stories."
Between writing, running a nonprofit charity from her home, and enjoying time with her grandson, Jordan devotes herself to three pursuits: white
chocolate, dark, chocolate, and milk chocolate
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