In one of my Bible classes, we were recently discussing the fact that ‘bad things’ do happen to those we deem good people. In fact, most all of us at some time in our life have had serious problems, health issues, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, broken relationships, and many other things that have changed the way we view and live our lives.

I’ve been wondering how most of us view these tragedies that somehow, someday come to all of us. 

We had been discussing the part of the Bible where Jesus performs the healing of a man blind from birth. The disciples are wondering why this man is blind and they ask Jesus why this man was so afflicted. They asked who had sinned…the person or his parents that caused this life of blindness.

Jesus didn’t answer that the cause was neither of those mentioned, but rather He replied, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents, but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

We discussed this and even after I came home, I found myself pondering Jesus’ answer. It seemed He was saying this person wasn’t born blind because of personal sin but rather because there is sin in our world from the beginning of time. And, the healing of this man pointed to the divinity of Jesus and that He was certainly the Christ that people had been waiting for a long, long time.

I may have misinterpreted that but it is what I understood. In spite of all the miracles Jesus had performed, the fact that He had visited and taught in the temple, and in spite of all of His teachings, all of His prophesies, those leaders in the temple did not believe Him and did not recognize Him as the Messiah for whom they waited.

Jesus walked resolutely and with trust through a ministry that offered discomfort, often animosity, disbelief and other difficulties, but He walked with a certainty that God walked with Him. He often said the Father and I are one.  At other times He prayed to God sometimes with praise and sometimes for relief from what was to come. God answered all those prayers but not always the way we would have chosen.

As I was pondering the fact that people accepted Jesus’ healing and kindness but still didn’t really grasp the fact that he was the Messiah, I couldn’t help wondering about His life, the joys and sorrows He experienced and His ultimate sacrificial death.

I find myself wondering why I complain about the little aggravations that sometimes seem to send me into a tizzy. I ask myself why I can’t just ‘do my best and leave the rest to God’. I know that’s how I am to live my life, but at times I’m not successful.

As to the fact that bad things do happen, I can attest to that fact. But I also could share a multitude of stories that remind me that sometimes out of something tragic, something good emerges.

If that makes me sound like a ‘goody goody’, I’ll assure you I’m not. But I have seen instances of great pain and sorrow in my life and in that of other family members. When it seemed at the time that nothing good could come out of these circumstances, now as I look back, I see things in a different light.

I see someone who had the loss of a limb who inspires and challenges all of us because he just keeps on keeping on and ‘without complaints’. His suffering taught us a lesson. I’ve also suffered illness and loss and felt like I couldn’t move on, but somehow because of the many others who had survived far worse, and still held fast as they traveled the very difficult path, I felt encouraged and invigorated.

I’m not advocating tragedy, but I’m saying that sometimes out of sorrow and pain, we grow closer to God and our lives change and our faith grows.

God really did promise, “Lo, I am with you always” and now that I am quite old, I’ve found that promise is one that can be relied upon. 

Maybe life isn’t always just what we’d like it to be. Sin was in the world in the beginning and it continues to exist. And yes, bad things happen. I don’t know and can’t begin to explain it. But, if we only focus on the bad and not work through the problem, we will never know what God has in store for us in the future. His plan isn’t always our plan.

I’ve always like the verse that says, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.” Jesus spoke these words near the end of His ministry and His life here on earth.

I guess by now I have tried to focus on the fact that faith in God will carry me through what life brings. I won’t have to wonder what sin I committed for which God is punishing me. Perhaps it is just as Jesus answered those questions when He healed the blind man by saying it wasn’t sin committed by the man or his parents, but rather it was a part of God’s plan. Sin has existed since the very beginning of time and still exists today. (And we know that for a fact also).

We can all work and plan, but none of us can guarantee what our future holds. We are well aware that both good and evil exist in our world.

But instead of living a life of fear and trepidation, let us live lives full of faith in a loving father, and trust that He holds the future.