I read the following a few years back and have hung onto this to remind myself that we all do have bad days from time to time.
How
to Tell When It's Going to be a Rotten Day
You call
Suicide Prevention & they put you on hold
You see a
"60 Minutes" news team waiting in your office
Your birthday
cake collapses from the weight of the candles
You turn on the
news and they're showing emergency routes out of the city
Your twin
sister forgot your birthday
Your car horn goes off accidentally & remains stuck as you follow a
group of Hell's Angels on the freeway
Your boss tells
you not to bother to take off your coat
Hopefully none of these things have happened to you, but bad things do
happen to good people. Sometimes
describing them as
bad just touches the tip of the iceberg.
And we often ask why? As Joni
Eareckson Tada says, we often ask, “Why me?
Why now? Why this?”; as if we
should be immune to trouble.
There are reasons we suffer and hurt.
All of our pains cannot be explained, but they will usually fall into one of the
following categories:
1.)
The Sin of Adam – Because
Adam and Eve sinned, this world was cursed and the penalty for
sin was death. We live in a fallen world of sinful people
and death, pain, and suffering came as a result of their failure.
2.)
Our own sin – we do reap what we sow.
Our lifestyles and the decisions we make all have consequences. God doesn’t shield us from the effects of our
decisions.
3.)
Sin of Others – You’ve probably heard it
said that no man is an island and that is certainly true. Our sin affects those around us, from our homes, to our communities, to our nation. If you don’t believe it, look around at how many children are suffering
today because of the sins of their parents.
4.)
Because of Satan – Luke 13:16 says, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these
eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” It
doesn’t give us a lot of details other than to say Satan was the cause of her
infirmity. Job was living a righteous
life when Satan challenged
God to allow him to afflict Job.
5.)
Sometimes it’s the trying of our Faith that puts us through the
storm. Check out Job, Abraham, Isaac,
David, Paul, or just read Hebrews 11.
6.)
And there are always the
times that we suffer for God’s Glory.
Remember in
John 9:2 when the Disciples asked Jesus why a
man was born blind? In John 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man
sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in
him.” Sometimes God is working in ways we do not understand to show Himself
and His Glory to an unbelieving world.
You don’t know why you’re going through the trial
you are right now? As my dear friend
Pastor Tom James says, “When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart”. I concur.
He will not let you down.
