Life can be so hard to understand at times…often times perhaps. Especially when life leads to unexpected death. A loss so hard to comprehend that we simply look to God for blame. We ask why? Why now? Why so soon? Why like this? These are the times we truly want answers from God. We call out in despair and sorrow, anger and confusion. I blamed God for my dad leaving early. I blamed God when we lost a sweet baby after only a week of life. I have spent years not understanding and rejected any attempt for comfort from Him. What I did not understand at the time was that this life is short and only part of God’s long term plan for us. I did not acknowledge that we are sinful by nature and as such we as people create the travesties of our lives. Do I mean that we cause our own loved one’s demise? Of course not. But this world is not so kind to us and that lack of kindness is by our own will. We consume poison in our foods that enrich the producers of that food, we spend endless hours overworking ourselves to obtain wordly desires (fancier cars, bigger houses, more extravaggent vacations), we avoid the health of our bodies by allowing ourselves to be at risk of disease by what we consume, we hurt one another through violence and murder, we cause one another emotional and mental strain rather than be loving and compassionate, we subject ourselves to darkness and despair through our entertainment, and we give in to the world’s negativity by denying or ignoring a higher power that is often times difficult to understand especially during hard times.

I spent the evening on the phone with family and friends regarding a very sudden and unexpected tragic loss yesterday. The loss is so hard to fathom and my heart is breaking so much for the family and others that are close to the situation. There is no obvious explanation and the hurt that those affected is going to be long term. I will admit that though I am spending alot of time reading the Bible lately and I understand that life to death does not mean the end I struggle with accepting the notion because the loss here and now is so real. The expectation of everlasting life is absolutely real as well but comes with many questions. This is when we truly must step back and not look to what we can see but to cling to our faith. God allows things to happen for a reason. Whether or not we understand His reasons, we must remember that God is good, just, loving, and merciful (Psalm 135:3). Often, bad things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. Instead of doubting God’s goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). We walk by faith, not by sight.

Please pray for this family that I speak of. I cannot provide further details as it is not my place to reveal or discuss. But God will know as to whom we are praying for. They truly need God’s compassionate grace right now.

Folks I have been through many tragedies myself just like you. I have procrastinated in following up on the deep down burning questions of purpose and reason to pursue my worldly desires of success and gain. And those desires are not bad things but I have learned recently how much easier it is to achieve when we first react to those questions and purpose and seek those answers as part of our process. We are not alone in our struggles and God truly has a purpose for all that happens even when we do not understand or even do not agree. I read an article a couple of days ago that said that 62% of Americans believe in God yet most people never even open their Bible. They rely on another person to tell them what is in the Bible. This was never God’s intent. He expects us to share our knowledge with one another but then dig in for ourselves. Seek truth and understanding that without His word is difficult to fathom (2 Timothy 3:14-17.) You are in this world for a purpose. The world is a difficult place but you have something special to contribute. Embrace what is unseen but proven through God’s love and word. Know that we can overcome sadness and despair and that one day you can experience everlasting life without pain, loss, and hurt.

Heavenly Father we pray for this family that suffered a great loss yesterday. Please embrace them with your comfort. Protect their minds from anger caused by confusion and help them see that your purpose will be revealed to them one day. Help them feel your love. We may not understand why right now but we cling to you knowing that your purpose is divine and beyond our own comprehension at times. We know that life is a gift and that it is a temporary gift. We thank you for your promise of everlasting life beyond this worldly existence and know that one day we may all experience a world with no more pain, suffering and death through salvation. Amen