Sometimes things happen, and we have no idea why… Why do some people struggle more than others, why do some face situations that break them (or nearly break them), why do some people leave this world sooner than others… sometimes… There’s just no answer…
I was recently praying for a friend who was in hospital when I remembered something that I experienced shortly after my dad passed away.
I was praying (for nothing particular; I was feeling a little down thinking of my father’s passing and decided to spend some time in God’s presence) when I couldn’t help but ask God “Why? You said that YOU have chosen us to be your children, and surely he was your child, how could you let this happen to him?” And I was just so broken and crying silently when, without a pause, I heard Him speak to me, saying “Jesus was my child too,” and immediately I stopped. I wasn’t sure what to think, but I had no control of my thoughts or the voice in my head… “It was all a part of my plan,” I still heard him say. “If you feel so down about me allowing this to happen to your father, imagine if I had to send MY SON, who was perfect and without sin, to die, for YOUR sins…” I was so awestruck I did not know what to say or think.
But it then dawned on me. If we are happy to accept God’s plan to send His son into the world to suffer and die for OUR sins, how can we question his plan to take someone home at their destined time? We can only just trust His plan and accept the fact that in this journey of life, our loved ones are all people who were destined to play certain roles in our lives and in the lives of others, and when that role is done, they are taken home. My dad’s role (Or as I’d like to call it, ‘purpose’) in life was done, and it was time for him to go home. I only have to thank God that he did not suffer as much as his sickness eventually would have made him, had he stayed longer.
In my friend’s case, I strongly felt she didn’t deserve to go through what she was going through, and that was what my fight with God was about. But the fact is that it is not about what we deserve and what we don’t… Sometimes when we face struggles in life it’s not because we deserve it; instead, it could be a test of our faith resulting in a testimony that would strengthen our faith as well as the faith or others further, or it could even be a way for others to be saved through our faith and our testimony.
Sitting in church this past Sunday before the start of service, I stumbled on Romans 9 (some Bible versions such as NIV title the passage from verses 6-29 as “God’s Sovereign Choice”), where Paul describes God’s purpose for each and every single person and explains that there is indeed no answer for the ‘why’, because we, as the objects of creation, are not worthy to question God, the creator. However, he does quote God’s words to Moses, saying: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Reading that as a standalone verse, it appears that we as humans are left at the mercy of God, unsure of whether we’ve ended up on His good side or His bad side. But in looking up the passage where this quote actually appears in Exodus 33:19, it is interesting to note that before God says these words, he says, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.” This is a part of the conversation between God and Moses as Moses contends with God for His presence to go with them as they make their way to the promised land. God says he will do as Moses has asked as he is pleased with him, implying that when our ways align with God’s ways and he is pleased with us, he will cause his goodness to work in our lives and proclaim his name through us and everything we go through. As Michael W. Smith’s wonderful song “Sovereign Over Us” goes, even when something bad happens, He will turn it for our good and for His glory.
Everyone has a purpose in life. Or to put it more accurately, God has a purpose for everyone. And it is much more than just growing up, getting straight As, a college degree, a high-paying job, a happy family and kids, and a peaceful retirement. While all these are definitely blessings we need to be immensely thankful for, there is so much more to life than this. While these can be counted as blessings on a more personal level, or things we’ve done that have worked well for our own lives, how much have we done that has impacted the lives of those around us? Jesus died for our sins, fulfilling the purpose for which he came into this world: to give us eternal life and a second chance. As Christians when we say we need to be more Christ-like, what do we do every day for others that creates an impact in their lives? And this is not just restricted to our friends and loved ones, but each and every person we come across every day. And it’s not just about what we do for others physically or financially, it’s about things as small as our demeanor, how we carry ourselves and behave towards others. When we ask God for blessings and share our to-do list of things we need his help with, we also need to ask him to use us to impact the lives of others around us, so that his purpose can be fulfilled in our lives. And no, asking him this and doing more of it will not get us up there faster, our time will be when our purpose in life is fulfilled, and only God knows the timelines for each of us.
